Lee Carsley does have a future as a Premier League manager and there is one club in particular that would be a perfect fit.
That is according to talkSPORT pundit and former Watford captain Troy Deeney.
Carsley will take charge of his last set of England fixtures as interim manager as the Three Lions face Greece on Thursday 14 November and the Republic of Ireland on Sunday 17 November in the Nations League.
They currently sit second in their table behind Greece, but need to finish top of the group to gain automatic promotion to League A.
The Under 21s head coach has overseen three wins and one crucial loss in the tournament so far and will be succeeded by permanent boss Thomas Tuchel in January.
Carsley will return to his role with the youth side where he has been in his position since 2021.
This came after the interim boss side-stepped rumours linking him with a job at Coventry City.
But given his short experience in one of football’s most demanding jobs, Deeney opened a discussion with talkSPORT’s Jim White and Alex Crook as to whether the 50-year-old might be fit for another job.
When asked by White if Carsley could be put in the mix as a potential Premier League manager of the future, Deeney had no hesitation with his answer.
“I think where Lee could come in at a different angle is that I don’t think his expectation would be that he gets the top four job straight away,” he said.
“Gareth Southgate, it was like Man United was where he was coming in. That was his entry point.
“I think Lee would be great at Brentford where he’s worked before.”
Carsley first began working at Brentford back in October 2014, when he took charge of the Development Squad.
Less than a year later, he was promoted to first-team head coach after the departure of Marinus Dijkhuizen and remained in the role until December, when Dean Smith took over the role permanently.
During that time though, Carsley won five of his ten matches in charge and picked up an award for Championship Manager of the Month thanks to a particularly good run.
With Brentford having secured promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Deeney has suggested they would offer the ideal setting for Carsley to hone his managerial skills in the top flight.
While Carsley has faced strident criticism for the loss to Greece especially, the ex-Watford skipper pointed out that he had done an admirable thing by stepping into the vacant job in the first place.
White quizzed Deeney on whether he thought Carsley’s behaviour in the England role had been ‘impeccable’ – and was met with enthusiastic agreement.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “Absolutely. I was on here (previously with Crook and Sam Matterface) wasn’t I? And I was the only one kind of sticking up for him.
“But I think he’s tried. He’s tried something. He’s helped out. He could have easily said, no, thanks, I’m in with the 21s. I’m going to stay here where it’s nice and safe.
“He tried. Boosted his profile. Had a go at some things. And he’s not spoken out of turn. He’s not put us in a dodgy situation. So I think he’s done really well on such short notice.”
But while Deeney was generous with his praise of Carsley, he was not quite so approving of the behaviour of incoming boss Tuchel.
It was revealed that Tuchel had no influence when it came to naming the most recent England squad, nor would he be involved with training sessions and the like before he takes over in the New Year.
Deeney admitted it was a move that surprised – and slightly disappointed – him.
“I would have expected that he would have at least been at St George’s, have a look at people, just observe, let people know his presence, not undermine Carsley by any stretch,” he said.
“This is your thing. This is what we’re doing. But also I would have expected him to say, this is how I would like to play – so try and implement that. And here’s how and why.
“What people don’t understand is there’s a lot of time between international breaks for these guys to get on the phone, to have a Zoom, to meet in person, however it might be.
“Here’s what I want to do. This is what I’m trying to do. Can you go and do it? And I think to say you’re not starting until January is a bit lazy in my opinion.”
He did go on to concede: “Maybe he’s got some family commitments that we don’t know about. So I hesitate to question his commitment.
“But I think I would expect him to have been trying to get ahead of the curve early doors so that we know what we’re trying to do. This is what I’m looking to do. These are the types of players I want in my squad.
“At least he can have a bird’s eye view, look on it and get ahead of it. But he’s going to come in January. The first time he’s with these players and looking ahead, it’s going to be for potentially a massive match.”
