Who did England U21s boss Lee Carsley play for? How did he get into the Three Lions set up?

Lee Carsley will take charge of his first international tournament this summer as England compete for glory at the European U21 Championships.

Carsley took over from Aidy Boothroyd in June 2021 after the Young Lions crashed out of the group stages at the last tournament.

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He has been in the England set-up since 2015, holding various roles in the age group sides and had a brief stint with the Under-20s.

Who did England U21s boss Carsley play for?

The 49-year-old enjoyed a 17-year playing career having started out at Derby County in 1994.

The former defensive midfielder helped the Rams secure promotion to the Premier League in the 1995/96 season.

Carsley then endured a swift stint at Blackburn that saw him fall out of favour with then-manager Graeme Souness.

He joined Coventry but couldn't prevent their relegation to the second division for the first time in 34 years in 2001.

Carsley soon returned to the Premier League after finding a home at Everton and scored 13 goals during just over six years with the club.

He spent the following two seasons at Birmingham before returning to Coventry in July 2010 for one final campaign before his retirement.

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How did Carsley get into Three Lions set up?

Carsley's final season at Coventry as a player came under former Sky Blues boss Boothroyd.

He then joined England’s development teams and Boothroyd when he was in charge of the U19s in 2015.

Carsley then took up a role at Manchester City's academy and later as Birmingham City’s U23s coach before returning to England with their Under-21s as a part-time specialist coach in 2017.

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"We feel quite confident about the squad,” said Carsley.

"We tried to pick as many players who have been playing, particularly towards the end of the season and we've got plenty of players who have been and there's plenty of caps in there.

"Stats would tell you from past U21 tournaments that we haven't won it since 1984 and we're rated sixth or eighth in the coefficient rankings, so to win it we're going to have to perform above where our ratings are at the minute.

"I'm confident in the group, I feel like we're in a good position and we're going to go out there and really attack every team and I'm confident we can do well.”