England interim head coach Lee Carsley has made the surprise revelation that next permanent boss Thomas Tuchel has yet to speak to him.
And in another interesting development, Carsley – who handed Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Lewis Hall their first senior call-ups on Thursday – has also confirmed he knew nothing about Tuchel’s appointment as new national team boss on the night of the 2-1 defeat against Greece, a match that took place two days after the Football Association claimed the German had signed his contract.
Tuchel will officially start work on January 1 and Mail Sport announced on Tuesday that he would have no influence on Carsley’s selection for next week’s matches against Greece and Ireland, news the interim boss confirmed on Thursday.
However, Carsley also revealed that the former Chelsea head coach has not yet thought carefully before taking over as Gareth Southgate’s permanent replacement.
When asked if Tuchel had spoken to him, Carsley replied: “No,” although the current incumbent president did congratulate his successor via text message.
England interim boss Lee Carsley (above) has revealed that Thomas Tuchel is yet to speak to him
The German boss was appointed as England’s new permanent head coach by the FA last month
England continue their Nations League campaign against Greece and Ireland later this month
When asked to expand, Carsley added, “I think they did that with the press conference [the FA] had, it was pretty clear regarding the start date.
“He fully respects that I’m in charge at the moment. That’s the priority. I don’t feel harassed or avoided.
“In any case, I’m looking forward to hopefully creating a situation where we can hand over a healthy selection of players to the new coach and his team.”
It is also understood that Tuchel has no plans to attend next week’s games against Greece and Ireland, England’s last two matches before taking charge in March. Instead, he watches from afar.
In their official press release announcing Tuchel’s appointment, the FA claimed that the ex-Bayern Munich coach signed his contract on October 8.
And speaking from St George’s Park yesterday, Carsley said he was unaware that Tuchel had already been confirmed as England coach on the night of October 10, the day of the shock loss to Greece at Wembley.
The defeat was followed by a hugely awkward post-match press conference, in which Carsley sent mixed signals about whether he wanted to be considered for the permanent job.
When asked if he knew Tuchel had ‘signed’ his contract before the Greece match, Carsley replied: ‘No.’
Mail Sport revealed last week that Tuchel would have no influence on England’s next squad
Newcastle’s Lewis Hall (left) and Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis (right) were among the surprise names selected by Carsley ahead of England’s upcoming Nations League matches
The FA, led by CEO Mark Bullingham (above), claim the German manager signed his England contract two days after Lee Carsley’s side suffered their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Greece
When asked if he was aware of Tuchel’s appointment on October 13, the night of the victory over Finland, after which Carsley gave further unclear clues as to whether he wanted the job, the former Everton midfielder replied: ‘ I can’t remember to be honest.
‘My focus was very much on the matches, on the camp. As for the timeline, it was discussed during the press conference that they [The FA] did.
“As far as my position goes, I’m very comfortable with the way it’s been handled. I didn’t feel undermined or anything like that.’
On the inclusions of Harwood-Bellis, Hall and Curtis Jones – who earned his first original call-up to the full squad yesterday – Carsley added: ‘They’re both [Harwood-Bellis and Hall] players who have played a lot of minutes this season and have shown that they can play consistently at a high level in the Premier League.
‘Players I know both very well. The relationship and the longevity I know Taylor from Manchester City and captain of the under-21s, a successful summer with promotion and playing in the Premier League week in week out, he is a player who really deserves it.
‘An excellent captain and a brilliant example for the rest of the players in the under-21 selection.
“Lewis is a player who has taken time to settle in, high quality, left-footed and a player who deserves to be there and has shown he can be very consistent.”