Who will be named in Carsley's first England squad?

Lee Carsley has been the England Under-21 manager since 2021

Lee Carsley will announce his first England squad on Thursday after being named interim head coach earlier this month.

It will be the first time the Three Lions squad has got together since the loss in the final of Euro 2024 to Spain and the first time in eight years that a manager other than Gareth Southgate has named a squad.

The 50-year-old has said it is important that he puts his "own stamp" on the squad before Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland next month.

England cannot reach the Nations League finals as they are in Group B but will be hoping to get promoted back to the top tier.

They also start their World Cup qualifiers next year so these games are important for the group to develop.

Who stays in?

Even though Carsley suggested he wants to make his own impression on the team he also said he must "acknowledge" that a large part of the squad have done well for the Three Lions in the past.

It is just 45 days since England lost to Spain and there have only been two Premier League games played, so Carsley does not have a lot of match time to analyse.

However, the England boss has been seen at stadiums around the country watching players.

It can be expected a large part of the squad will be the same with the spine of Jordan Pickford, John Stones, Declan Rice and Harry Kane all fit and available.

Bukayo Saka is also one of England’s key players and has started the season in great form for Arsenal as he looks to help them challenge for the Premier League title.

The full-back area could see some new faces with Reece James injured, England regular Kieran Trippier only making one substitute appearance so far this season for Newcastle, Luke Shaw injured and another left-back in Ben Chilwell out of the picture at Chelsea.

When Carsley led the England Under-21 side to European Championship success for the first time in 39 years last summer, he played the majority of the tournament with a right-footed left-back, so it could be a possibility he does the same with the senior squad.

Interesting call ups?

Harvey Elliott featured regularly for Carsley at Under-21 level

One of the names most people will be looking for on the squad list will be Arsenal defender Ben White.

White has not been involved in an England squad since leaving the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. He made himself unavailable for the remainder of Southgate's tenure and it is unclear whether he has reversed that decision since Southgate left.

He has been part of an Arsenal defence that has pushed for the title the past two seasons, has been arguably England’s best right-back and has the ability to play centre-back, too.

There could also be some new faces at centre-back.

From the squad that went to Euro 2024, Joe Gomez has not featured for Liverpool and Carsley may opt for younger centre-backs in this next stage which could be hard on players such as Lewis Dunk.

Levi Colwill was an important part of Carsley’s Under-21 side that lifted silverware last summer and knows how the manager likes to play. He also can play at left-back which is a problem area for the England senior side.

Jarrell Quansah was named in Southgate’s training squad ahead of Euro 2024 and has played under Carsley in the Under-21s too.

An imposing defender and good on the ball, he could be another that is brought in.

Quansah was withdrawn by manager Arne Slot at half-time of Liverpool's opening win at Ipswich but there is no questioning his quality.

It is likely Marc Guehi, one of England's stars at Euro 2024, starts alongside Manchester City's Stones for the first game.

Harvey Elliot has played a lot under Carsley and has spoken about how it would be "unbelievable" if he was named England manager.

The 21-year-old Liverpool midfielder has played just seven minutes for his club so far this season but is another option who knows how the interim head coach likes to play.

Morgan Gibbs-White could be another player who breaks into the senior squad for a possible debut.

The 24-year-old played five of the six games for Carsley in the Under-21's winning campaign last summer and has stepped up to captain Nottingham Forest this season, scoring the winner in their last match.

Change of role?

Anthony Gordon featured as a striker as England won the Under-21 Euros in 2023

Cole Palmer was the Premier League young player of the season and scored 25 goals with 15 assists in all competitions last season.

Palmer has started this season well, scoring one goal and registering three assists in two games.

He scored in the final of Euro 2024 and assisted Ollie Watkins' dramatic winner in the semi-final, while also scoring his penalty in the shootout win over Switzerland.

The Chelsea forward spoke about how he questioned why he did not play more at the Euros, but taking into account his form, quality and the fact he has played under Carsley before, it could put him in the picture to play a bigger part for the national team.

Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon also spoke of his frustrations at not getting more game time in the summer.

The left side of England’s attack did not really click as many would have liked and Gordon’s pace and workrate was something many wanted to see.

Gordon had an excellent season for Newcastle last campaign and scored in their 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Sunday.

He was named player of the tournament last summer, featuring as a striker for Carsley’s Under-21 side, and could be a player who benefits from a change in manager.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a frustrating England career and his experiment as a midfielder in Germany will have only added to that.

Called up as a midfielder by Southgate, Carsley could embrace Alexander-Arnold’s ability in his regular position and look to get the best out of the 25-year-old Liverpool right-back.

Potential recalls?

Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford were the two big-name omissions from Southgate’s squad in the summer.

Manchester City's Grealish has spoken about how difficult he found it being left out and could look to use these games to get his international career back on track.

He has not been able to hold down a regular starting spot for his country but his game could complement how Carsley likes his side to play football.

The forward area is where England have the most depth and quality but with Jude Bellingham looking likely to miss out with injury, Grealish could be recalled for these next two games.

The Republic of Ireland match carries extra spice as Grealish represented them at youth level before changing allegiances.