Lee Carsley has confirmed he has not applied to become the permanent England manager.

Carsley, the Under-21 manager, stepped up to the senior team in an interim role following Gareth Southgate’s departure, but was quickly tipped to take on a permanent position after an impressive first run of fixtures in September.

October’s international break has not been as kind to Carsley, however. A crushing defeat to Greece, followed by what felt like a slip of the tongue when he admitted he was “hopeful” of returning to the Under-21 position, sparked speculation Carsley is not interested in taking the job.

It was then reported that Carsley had privately made it clear he did not want the role full-time, and now the interim boss has confirmed he did not apply to become England’s next full-time manager.

“No, I didn’t formally apply for it,” he told talkSPORT.

Asked to explain why, he continued: “Because I’ve been with the Under-21s. I’m really happy doing my job but I’m an employee of the FA and I was asked to take the senior team which is a privilege, it was the proudest moment of my career so far.

“Really honoured with the chance to manage the senior team, I’m in a really fortunate position, I’m on the inside and I can see how much potential this team’s got.

“I’ve said all along, it’s one of the best jobs in world football, there’s not many jobs where you’ve got a chance of winning, I believe the coach that comes in has got a really good chance of winning and we deserve the best one that’s out there.”

Carsley also moved to clarify his “hopefully” comment, insisting he remains passionate about his work with England’s next generation.

“The hopefully comment, it’s something that I would always say,” he explained. “[The reaction] is not something that I’m worried about or thought too much about.

“I’ve got a really good job, I love coaching the Under-21s, the fact that I was asked to do this job for three camps, really comfortable doing that.

“Hopefully people will say at the end of the three months that I’ve done a good job and done well and that’s fine, and that’s always the case. The most important thing is that the players enjoy playing for England and they’re positive.”

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