Former Derby County star emerges as favourite to replace Gareth Southgate as England boss

England U21s boss Lee Carsley has emerged as the favourite to replace Gareth Southgate should he leave the job after Euro 2024.

If the rumours are true, it looks like Southgate will leave and the FA will need to appoint his successor.

Carsley, 50, if appointed would take the route that the current England boss has as he was previously the U21s manager before taking the top job.

It would be a big moment for Derby County as Carsley was a mainstay in the Rams team in the 1990s.

He played for Derby from 1994-1999 when he made over 135 appearances and scored five goals.

Carsley began his career with the Rams and managed to help them to promotion to the Premiership.

According to HITC, Carsley is the FA’s preferred choice over the likes of Eddie Howe and former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

Furthermore, the Derby links don’t end with Carsley who currently has former Rams defender Ashley Cole in his coaching staff and would be expected to take him into the job along with him.

However, the FA have stressed that they would be prepared to extend Southgate’s contract and keep him on for the World Cup in 2026. But the current England manager has previously said that he would likely leave the job if his side fails to win the Euros this summer.

Carsley also recently rejected a couple of managerial jobs including the Republic of Ireland job very recently, which could be due to his desire to stay in the England set-up for the potential of a promotion to the top job.