MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 03: Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville before the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on May 3, 2023 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Over the years, Everton and the England team have had a shaky relationship, with many Merseysiders feeling unaffected by international football.
Even if a lot of the Toffees are probably in the same situation as well, this most recent vacation from club games could not have come at a better moment for a team that is struggling to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League.
The athletes needed a break from the pressures of battling for their life, and after taking a brief vacation in Portugal before departing with their national teams, there’s a chance that this time apart helped mend past hurts.
However, speculation remains rife around England regarding the imminent future of Gareth Southgate, who is sensationally being linked with a move to Old Trafford once his international duties are done. Therefore, attention has unsurprisingly turned to who might replace him.
What Gary Neville said about Lee Carsley
Having been through the big-name appointments when assuming Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello would do the business for England, it is fair to say that Southgate has outperformed both of them already.
After all, these two boasted some of the country’s best-ever players, and whilst they did not quite gel it still marks a tragedy that more wasn’t done to fuse them into a title-winning outfit.
Meanwhile, the former Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough defender has healed old wounds in the national setup, once again making it a harmonious and welcoming place to be.
Jarrad Branthwaite will now be experiencing that first-hand.
However, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Gary Neville has warned that despite his good reputation, the England U21 boss Lee Carsley might struggle to snag the senior position after Southgate departs.
When asked if he felt like the former Everton man could make the step up, the Manchester United legend bluntly said: ‘I don’t think that can happen to be fair. He has got a good reputation.’
Lee Carsley was a fine Everton player under David Moyes
Whilst his credentials within the England youth setup speak for themselves, having won last summer’s U21 Euro Championships without conceding a goal throughout the tournament, it seems he might struggle to make that next key elevation to one of the toughest jobs in world football.
However, to discount him would be disingenuous, especially given how he consistently overcame obstacles during his playing career.
Moving to Goodison Park in 2002, under Walter Smith’s reign, it was only after his dismissal did the 50-year-old truly started to unlock his potential with Everton.
David Moyes turned him into a vital cog in his setup, shielding the back four and helping the Toffees to achieve an unthinkable fourth-placed finish during the 2004/05 season.
However, suffering an injury to his medial ligaments in the following pre-season scuppered his fine spell, but not before he returned to start every Premier League game during the 2006/07 term which again resulted in European football.
Carsley has proven people wrong throughout his career, and could now do so again by making the step up that Neville thinks he can’t.
