The English Football Association (FA) will approach Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard for the England under-21 job if Lee Carsley departs this summer, according to the Telegraph.
The FA sees it as an opportunity to groom the former England internationals for the senior team.
Scott Parker, who recently lost his job with Club Brugge after winning only three of his 12 games in charge, is another option for the FA.
The FA is wary that Carsley will leave after the under-21 European Championships later this year. They are already thinking ahead and shortlisting candidates to take over.
Everton sacked Lampard in January as he became the seventh manager of the Farhad Moshiri era to leave. He left the Toffees second from bottom on the Premier League table.
Despite receiving backing from the club’s majority shareholder Moshiri, the results became too dire to ignore. He could not build on their great escape from relegation at the end of last season.
Gerrard lasted only 11 months in charge of Aston Villa. He received the sack following a horrendous 3-0 loss to Fulham in October 2022. Fans chanted for him to leave during the defeat.
He received the news of his sacking on his way home from the game at Craven Cottage.
However, the FA believe that if they groom the coaches through the junior levels, they could take over the senior team. They have international football experience and have managed big clubs.
The FA was almost left handicapped when Gareth Southgate was close to resigning after the 2022 World Cup.
They did not have ready English candidates, with the German Thomas Tuchel and Argentina’s Mauricio Pochettino their only options. They did not have a succession plan.
They believe if Lampard, Gerrard or Parker take charge of the under-21s for even a year, they will be ready for the senior team if Southgate resigns after the 2024 European Championship.
