OUTGOING England interim boss Lee Carsley has probably added a few more million pounds to Marc Guehi’s value after he lavished praise on the Crystal Palace centre-back following the Three Lions’ 5-0 win over Ireland at Wembley last weekend.
England scored five goals after Liam Scales’ sending-off for two bookings in the 51st minute. Harry Kane scored the opener from the penalty spot after the foul by Scales on Jude Bellingham, before goals from Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher – who finished Guehi’s flick from Noni Madueke’s corner – Jarrod Bowen and debutant Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Guehi played in the five wins in Carsley’s six games in charge ahead of Thomas Tuchel officially taking over from January.
“I made Marc captain when I was in the under-21s. He’s a player who has shown leadership qualities throughout his career so far,” Carsley said.
“His maturity [is clear] not only on the pitch but off the pitch. The fact that Marc is so calm and composed next to them [the debutants Tino Livramento and Harwood-Bellis] is brilliant.
“I think he’s had a really good camp. He’s playing really well at Palace in the games that I have seen and he’s moving in the right direction in terms of his quality.”
Carsley believes Guehi, 24, can get better, with Palace having rejected offers of up to £65million for him from Newcastle United in the summer.
“When he plays for England he probably goes up another level as well,” Carsley said.
“I still think there is a lot more to come from Marc. Physically, he’s fast and he’s aggressive. On the ball, he is excellent as well so he just needs to keep improving.
“There’s good competition for places in that centre-back position but Marc is definitely worthy of his position.”
Carsley’s only defeat was 2-1 at home to Greece as he led the side back to the top tier of the Nations League.
Carsley now goes back to his role as boss of the under-21s.
“Even though we won five of the six, I straight away go back to that game we should have won at Wembley,” Carsley said.
“It’s definitely a lonely place in that dugout when you’re not winning at Wembley. We’ll keep improving and keeping pushing the players and ourselves.”
Carsley added: “I definitely felt like I have been out of my comfort zone but not beyond my capabilities. I never felt at any point I was drowning or I was struggling.
“I’ve taken the confidence that myself and the rest of the staff will be okay. I think we have got stronger as the [international] windows have gone on.
“You are always learning a lot about yourself when you’re in a position you are not used to. I think the most pleasing thing is the younger players coming through.”
Meanwhile, the Football Association’s chief executive Mark Bullingham paid tribute to Carsley.
Bullingham said: “I would like to thank Lee Carsley and his coaching team for their hard work and results in the last six games.
“Lee has achieved the main objective from the six fixtures this autumn: securing promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League.
“He has selected some exciting new players and will be providing Thomas Tuchel and [England assistant] Anthony Barry with a very detailed handover as they start work on our qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“The players have really enjoyed working with Lee and his team – they have made a real impact in their interim roles.
“Lee will now return to the Under-21s and will continue to play a vital role supporting the seniors by developing England’s best young players.
“His leadership and coaching gives us the best possible chance of back-to-back under-21 Euro wins next summer, and he will continue to play a big part in elite football development across the FA.”
