Ireland's Jim Crawford has praised the English FA for their decision to appoint former Ireland player Lee Carsley as their interim England manager.
The former Ireland midfielder had long been linked to the Ireland senior job but chose to advance his career with England after successful work with their under-21 side.
Ireland will face England this weekend in their opening Nations League game, and Crawford admits he's delighted for Carsley.
“He is very calm and considerate. Both of us were in the 21s at the time, so I played with him. He is a nice guy,” said the Ireland Under-21 boss to the Irish Mirror.
“You can see the work he has done at the under-21 level. To win a European final is no easy feat. He has certainly worked hard in the role, and I am delighted for him.”
Lee Carsley, interim Manager of England, looks on during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester City FC at Stamford Bridge on August 18, 2024, in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Ireland’s Under-21s start their Euro 2025 campaign away to Turkey and then return home to face Latvia in Tallaght a few days later.
Crawford believes that the senior Ireland squad can have a real go at the well-fancied England team. He admits that if the opportunity arises, the players will try to watch the game.
“I think we can get to England,” he said. “I think Lee has brought in a few under-21 players too, so he is certainly dipping into that pool.
“But I think, why not? John and Heimir certainly won’t be sitting back and trying to survive during the game; they’ll want to take a real front-foot approach.
“We get back late Saturday afternoon, so I’m sure the players will be desperate to get back to the hotel and watch that game.”
Ireland Under-21s Squad
Goalkeepers: Tiernan Brooks (Gateshead), Killian Cahill (Brighton & Hove Albion), Josh Keeley (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defenders: James Abankwah (Udinese), Emmanuel Adegboyega (Dundee United, on loan from Norwich City), Sam Curtis (Peterborough United, on loan from Sheffield United), James Furlong (Wimbledon, on loan from Hull City), Anselmo Garcia-MacNulty (PEC Zwolle), Alex Murphy (Newcastle United), Connor O’Riordan (Cambridge United, on loan from Blackburn Rovers), Sean Roughan (Lincoln City)
Midfielders: Baba Adeeko (Wigan Athletic), Matt Healy (Royal Francis Borains), Joe Hodge (Huddersfield Town, on loan from Wolves), Andrew Moran (Stoke City, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Killian Phillips (St. Mirren, on loan from Crystal Palace), Rocco Vata (Watford)
Forwards: Sinclair Armstrong (Bristol City), Aidomo Emakhu (Millwall), Johnny Kenny (Shamrock Rovers, on loan from Celtic), Mark O’Mahony (Portsmouth, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Ollie O’Neill (Leyton Orient), Armstrong Oko-Flex (FC Zürich), Franco Umeh (Crystal Palace)
UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifier (Kick-Off time is Irish time)
Friday, September 6 | Türkiye U21 v Ireland U21, Esenir Stadium, Istanbul, Kick-Off 5.45pm
Tuesday, September 10 | Ireland U21 v Latvia U21, Tallaght Stadium, Dublin, Kick-Off 5pm
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