England interim manager Lee Carsley has acknowledged that their victory over the Republic of Ireland has boosted his confidence, admitting that he initially had doubts about his ability to lead the team.
Declan Rice and Jack Grealish netted the goals in a 2-0 win during the Nations League match in Dublin on Saturday, marking England’s first game since Gareth Southgate’s resignation.
Typically overseeing the England Under-21 team, Carsley was appointed as interim coach for the fixtures against Ireland and Finland, set to be played at Wembley on Tuesday.
Prior to this, Carsley’s senior managerial experience was limited to brief caretaker roles at Coventry, Brentford, and Birmingham between 2012 and 2017.
“In the back of your mind you always think… you know, it’s easy to be the England manager, isn’t it, when you’re sat in the house,” the former Republic of Ireland midfielder said.
“There have been times where I’ve thought I’m not sure if I could do it.
“But it [the Dublin win] has done my confidence good, and the rest of the staff as well, that actually we’re OK, we’ll be all right.
“I think it’s natural to have doubts.”
Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White won last year’s European Under-21 Championship under Carsley.
And he was handed his senior debut by the ex-Everton player on Saturday.
“I’d say he’s a bit more serious now [than when he was Under-21 boss], which is a good thing,” Gibbs-White said.
“He’s stepped up a role and I feel like he’s taking everything as seriously as he can and fair play to him, that shows he wants to stay.”