England's Nations League match in Dublin on Saturday will be their first without Gareth Southgate in charge since September 2016.

Lee Carsley's appointment, as his replacement, might be on an interim basis, but the former Republic of Ireland midfielder said he was eager to put his own stamp on the team when selecting his first squad.

The inclusion of Lille midfielder Angel Gomes, 24, as a key technician to control play in the centre of the park, follows the role he played in the Under-21s' European Championship title success last summer.

Gomes, when asked about Carsley, said: "He's very honest, he's direct with his approach and is close to the squad. And that helps as a player when a coach takes interest in not just you as a player, but as a person.

"He's very easy to speak to. He'll ask you what you think of training sessions, games or pull you aside to see what you think. When a manager puts that confidence in you, you repay it on the pitch."

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Newcastle defender Tino Livramento gave an alternative view of Lee Carsley - as an empathetic coach, who went out of his way to keep the former Southampton full-back "in the loop" when he missed the Under-21s' European triumph in 2023 with a knee injury.

Livramento, 21, gave this touching tribute to the England interim manager in the latest episode of BBC Sounds' Football Daily podcast: "[He has been] massive for me. I have said in a few interviews, he is obviously a great coach, but as a person he is someone who has been there for me.

“He had similar injuries like me, so when I was going through that part of my career, he helped me out a lot, keeping me in the loop still texting me how I am.

“It is hard to come by someone like that in football, I guess.

“Someone who is going to be there for you and help you out when you are in your tough moments.”

• Click here to listen to the latest episode of Football Daily

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Chelsea winger Noni Madueke is another Under-21s graduate to get his first call-up and described interim manager Lee Carsley as a "great person," with "a lot of human qualities", as well as a "a great tactician".

The 22-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live: “He has great ideas and he is also able to implement the way he wants to play, like in your mind and make it easy for you.

“I feel as though all of the top managers have that.

”Definitely I couldn’t speak more highly of him. I feel as though he is a great manager, I feel as though he knows the pathway, he knows the system.

“He knows the FA, he has been working at the FA for a long time.

“[He is] similar to Gareth [Southgate] in that sense, so I hope he can do extremely well.

“I have got all the belief in him for sure.”

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Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has backed England interim head coach Lee Carsley to get the full-time job, saying it "suits him perfectly".

As mentioned, Gibbs-White is one of four new faces called into Carsley’s first squad for the Nations Leagues games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, alongside Noni Madueke, Tino Livramento and Angel Gomes.

The 24-year-old midfielder has worked with Carsley in England's age group teams and was part of the side that won the Under-21 European Championship in Georgia in June 2023.

"I know how he works, he’s a great manager tactically, man-management is great," Gibbs-White said.

"I was buzzing when I found out that he got the job as he really deserved it and I feel like it suits him perfectly. Hopefully the games go well for him and you never know what the future holds."

Read more here.

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Plenty to get through today, but where to start?

We would love to know your thoughts on last night's announcement of Ballon d'Or nominees, with six English players included in the shortlist for the men's award and three for the women's, as well as a host of British-based stars in both.

Then we had the start of the qualifying campaign in the Women's Champions League yesterday. Arsenal kicked off with a commanding victory over Rangers, while Celtic and Dublin-based Peamount United also progressed, but there were defeats for Cardiff City and Northern Ireland's Glentoran.

However, the only real place to start has to be with England's new recruits - Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke and Tino Livramento.

They all gave interesting interviews yesterday that gave a great insight into interim manager Lee Carsley, having worked under him with England Under-21s.

Let's see what they had to say...

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