Matt Upson
Former England defender on Football Daily

I think this is the modern-day pathway for international management.

You look at other countries, the coaches that come through the ranks. Spain's a classic example, coaches that might not have had glittering domestic careers but have come through the football associations, the national teams.

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Lee Carsley has, of course, already enjoyed international success as a manager with the England Under-21s, guiding them to the European title in 2023.

He showed his commitment to that set of players by selecting six members in his first senior men's squad, including a first international call-up for Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tino Livramento.

What do you think about Phil McNulty's assertion - that the England job is Lee Carsley's to lose?

Click thumbs up if you agree, or thumbs down if you don't.

What do you believe the interim boss would need to do - if he wants to remain as England manager - to convince the Football Association to give him the job full-time?

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Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Lee Carsley’s cause - and we must assume he wants to be the next England manager even though he publicly refuses to even hint at such a desire - would have been damaged had he not won both games [against the Republic of Ireland and Finland] but he will delighted, and a touch relieved, to have escaped any traps.

It is tough to make any defining judgement based on these two victories but Carsley has increased the sense that the England job is his to lose. He could not have done any more.

Right, we return now to England.

While Tuesday's win over Finland at Wembley was a night to remember for Harry Kane and his family, it also marked the home bow of interim boss Lee Carsley.

The result and performance in the 2-0 win followed an equally assured display from England against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday in Dublin, where they won by the same scoreline in Carlsey's first game in charge.

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A quick update on the fitness of Arsenal's Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard.

His international team doctor, Ola Sand, has been quoted by Norwegian website VG, external as saying the Gunners' captain could be out for "at least three weeks" because of the ankle injury he picked up playing in Monday's Nations League victory at home to Austria.

"Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks. Anything other than that is just a bonus. And then it can take longer," said Sand.

Arsenal face a trip to north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday and start their Champions League campaign at home to Serie A side Atalanta on Tuesday before visiting Premier League champions Manchester City on 22 September.

Odegaard was expected to have an MRI scan on his injured ankle on Tuesday, after landing back in London.

Sand added: "We have to wait and see both what the MRI images show and how quickly he responds to treatment."

Liverpool

Harvey Elliott made 34 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League last season but has featured just once from the bench under Arne Slot in the opening three games.

The 21-year-old is battling with the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a starting spot.

But with the football schedule ramping up following the start of Liverpool's Champions League and EFL Cup campaigns, Elliott could have been set for more minutes under Slot.

Liverpool

Bad news for Liverpool as Harvey Elliott faces a spell on the sidelines with a fractured foot, according to Paul Joyce of the Times, external.

The midfielder pulled out of England Under-21 duty last Thursday to return to Liverpool for further assessment.

Elliott missed England U21s' goalless draw with Northern Ireland in Euro 2025 qualifying and the 4-1 friendly win over Austria.

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana is set to join AEK Athens on a season-long loan deal.

The move could be made permanent, with an option to buy at around £20m included in the deal.

But the 21-year-old's move remains subject to final paperwork and a medical being signed off, with the Greek transfer window closing tonight.

There has been a breakthrough in the on-and-off-again talks, which began shortly after August 30 - when AEK put themselves in pole position with the transfer windows across the big five leagues closed.

For Chelsea, the move will put him in the shop window while playing for a club where a probable future sale could be negotiated, as he is deemed surplus to requirements.

Chelsea signed Fofana from Molde in January 2023 for £8.4m.

Some big news from international football last night as former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has been named the new manager of the United States.

Pochettino, 52, said it was an opportunity "I couldn't pass up".

"The decision to join US Soccer wasn't just about football for me; it's about the journey that this team and this country are on," he added.

"The energy, the passion, and the hunger to achieve something truly historic here - those are the things that inspired me.

"I see a group of players full of talent and potential, and together we're going to build something special that the whole nation can be proud of."

Read more here

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Claude Makelele has greenlit a move to become Asteras Tripolis manager after leaving Chelsea's loan department by mutual consent last year.

The former Blues midfielder left Stamford Bridge last September after a four-year spell advising loanees on how to improve their game.

He has now opted to return to management in Greece's top flight and will fly to Tripolis on Wednesday.

He previously managed Bastia and Eupen in France and Belgium, alongside other coaching roles at Paris St-Germain and Swansea.

Former Swansea and Reading manager Paul Clement will join Makelele as his assistant having spent a long time working with Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and PSG.

Clement was also part of Frank Lampard's backroom staff at Everton.

Tripolis have won one, drawn one and lost one of their first three matches this season and are fifth in the Super League Greece table.

In South America, Argentina remain top of the 10-team table by two points, while Colombia are second with 16. They are followed by Uruguay in third place on 15 points, with Ecuador in fourth on 11.

Brazil and Venezuela are fifth and sixth, respectively, on 10 points, while Paraguay are seventh on nine points, with all teams having played eight games.

Click here to view the full table.

The top six teams qualify automatically after 18 rounds of fixtures, which are due to finish in September 2025. The seventh-place team will go into an inter-continental play-off against a team from another confederation.

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Former Real Madrid and Everton midfielder James Rodriguez was the hero for Colombia as the 33-year-old scored the winner from the penalty spot in a 2-1 victory, downing the reigning world champions, who were without Lionel Messi.

It was revenge for Colombia who lost to Argentina in the Copa America final two months ago.

Rodriguez, now at La Liga side Rayo Vallecano, crossed for Wolves' Yerson Mosquera to score the opener with a header in the 25th minute in Barranquilla.

Nicolas Gonzalez levelled for Argentina three minutes after the break but Nicolas Otamendi then fouled Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz and a penalty was given after a video assistant referee review.

Captain Rodriguez sent Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez the wrong way from the spot to score the 60th-minute winner.

"I don't think I've ever scored against them - there's a first time for everything," said Rodriguez.

"We want to get used to playing finals. Today was just another game, but against a team that has won everything - this victory tastes even better."

Elsewhere, midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who joined Manchester United last month from Paris St-Germain, started for Uruguay in their 0-0 draw at Venezuela.

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Talking about internationals, there were some shock results overnight in South America.

Brazil suffered their fourth defeat in five qualifying games with a 1-0 loss to Paraguay, while Argentina were beaten 2-1 by Colombia in qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup.

Inter Miami's Diego Gomez scored the winner for Paraguay in Asuncion after 20 minutes as Brazil failed to register a shot on target in the first half.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and West Ham playmaker Lucas Paqueta all started for Brazil with the Real Madrid trio of Rodrygo, Endrick and Vinicius Jr in attack.

The result leaves five-time world champions Brazil fifth in the qualifying table with just three wins in their eight games.

Manager Dorival Jr was appointed in January and his side lost in the Copa America quarter-finals in the summer.

"The coach is still figuring out the best way for us to play and that's reflected in the result," defender Marquinhos told Brazilian TV Globo. "There are a lot of new players, we are lacking confidence.

"Qualifying isn't easy, it's a difficult time and we have to know how to manage it. It's a time of transition, we're not feeling confident. We're going to work hard, getting results on the pitch is the best answer."

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So Harry Kane refuses to "set limits" on what he can achieve in the remainder of his England career, citing the current "top players" who have scored more international goals than him as an inspiration to keep going.

The England captain's brace against Finland took him to 68 goals in a Three Lions shirt.

Only six players who are currently active have scored more for their nations than the Bayern Munich striker:

1. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo - 132 goals in 214 caps
2. Argentina's Lionel Messi - 109 goals in 187 caps
3. India's Sunil Chhetri - 94 goals in 151 caps
4. Belgium's Romelu Lukaku - 85 goals in 119 caps
5. Poland's Robert Lewandowski - 84 goals in 154 caps
6. Brazil's Neymar - 79 goals in 128 caps

Harry Kane reacted to a "proud night" for him and his family at Wembley by declaring that he still has many more targets to aim for in a Three Lions shirt.

"I try to never set limits on what I can achieve," said Kane, who is England's all-time leading goalscorer with 68 - 15 more than Wayne Rooney's tally of 53 in second place - and is now 25 appearances short of Peter Shilton's England record.

"I know playing in this team I am going to get chances and if I get chances I feel like I can score many goals.

"I am going to keep going as long as I can and who knows what we can reach.

"Some of the top players in the world have scored more than I have so there are targets there to try and achieve."

The Daily Express

The Express focuses on the golden theme, reporting that England centurion Harry Kane "shines bright" on his special night at Wembley.

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Harry Kane had a unique shirt crafted for his 100th England appearance, as well as those "special" golden boots...

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