Former Everton defender Alan Stubbs spoke of his time in the dressing room with Lee Carsley and another future top manager, Mikel Arteta
Alan Stubbs believed Lee Carsley had greater managerial potential than Mikel Arteta during his playing days. The former Everton defender, who shared the Blues dressing room with both, said Carsley’s organisational skills always pointed to him having a future in the game once he hung up his boots.
Both are now at the top of the game, with Carsley interim England boss and Arteta vying for glory with Arsenal.
Of the pair, Stubbs said: “Having played with both Lee Carsley and Mikel Arteta, if you asked me which of the pair was destined to be a manager, I would have picked Lee Carsley every day of the week over Mikel.
READ MORE: ‘I love you, brother’ – Dele Alli shares touching tribute to George BaldockREAD MORE: Gareth Southgate shares huge update on future amid Man United and Everton links
“Lee was a great lad. Great in the dressing room and a really good organiser on the pitch. Mikel was also great in the dressing room and on the pitch, but to me, he had more of the aura of a coach and not a manager.”
Carsley’s future is the subject of constant speculation as he holds the England position while the FA considers who should be the permanent replacement for Gareth Southgate. The 50-year-old, who led England’s Under-21s to their age group’s European Championships, will oversee the senior side’s Nations League double header with Greece and Finland over the international break.
Asked whether he could see Carsley being given the job full-time Stubbs, speaking via BestBettingSites.com, said he hoped so and added: “Lee’s gone about his business in the coaching world quietly. He’s such a hard-worker and he’s the type of personality that has kept a low profile, while improving and getting better as a manager all the time. He started coaching at Coventry and then went on to Brentford, looking after the development squad. His success from there with various England youth teams has led him to the big seat and now he’s the England manager.
“Lee knows that this is an interim position. He knows it’s a chance for him to impress the FA and potentially be in consideration for the job on a full-time basis. Lee’s very diligent, he’s a good coach. He’ll have good people around him. Lee’s one of those characters that I don’t think will just want to stick around for the sake of things. He’ll want to know where he stands in terms of taking the job full-time and, after this next round of matches, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s asking about whether he’ll get the job permanently or not, especially if things go well.”