Lee Carsley is set to consider his future as England Under-21 manager this summer, which could open the door for the Football Association to approach Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard about the post and potentially start grooming one of the former midfielders for the top job.
Scott Parker is another out-of-work former England international who could come under consideration should Carsley decide to step down after this summer’s Under-21 European Championships.
With the FA needing to think about a succession plan for England manager Gareth Southgate, whose contract is due to expire after next summer’s men’s European Championships, the prospect of hiring Lampard or Gerrard in the event of Carsley leaving could be appealing.
Lampard was sacked by Everton this season, while Gerrard lasted under a year at Aston Villa, but both men have huge experience in international football and have both achieved success in management and coaching in Europe as well.
Southgate almost stood down as England manager after the World Cup, which would have left the FA in a mess with no obvious English successor and having to consider appointing Argentine Mauricio Pochettino or German Thomas Tuchel as his successor.
Other than a brief stint as Brentford caretaker manager, Carsley has never managed a senior team before which means he would not be under consideration to succeed Southgate at this stage or even next summer.
But a year with the Under-21s might put Lampard, Gerrard or even Parker in the perfect place to succeed Southgate when he eventually calls it quits and give the FA a chance of continuity.
It is unclear whether or not Lampard or Gerrard would be interested in managing England’s Under-21s, which has traditionally been a post taken up by coaches who have not recently managed in the top-flight. They would also have to accept a salary far lower than the ones paid by their previous clubs.
Lampard was linked with the Under-21 job before the appointment of Carsley in 2021, but he had not long been sacked by Chelsea and was plotting a return to management in the Premier League. He kept Everton in the Premier League last season, but was sacked in January with the club in the relegation zone.
At Chelsea, Lampard qualified for the Champions League and took the club to the FA Cup final at the end of a season in which the club had been hit by a transfer ban. He was sacked in January 2021 following a poor run of results in the Premier League, having qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
During his time at Chelsea, Lampard promoted Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori to the first-team and they have all gone on to win senior England caps.
Gerrard was sacked by Villa in October with the club one place outside the relegation zone at the time, having previously won the Scottish Premiership in charge of Rangers. He has since been linked with the Poland national team job and, most recently, the Trabzonspor post.
Parker was sacked last week by Club Brugge after just 12 games in charge of the Belgian club, having also been fired by Bournemouth earlier this season.
England face Germany, Czech Republic and Israel in Group C of this summer’s Under-21 European Championships which are being held in Romania and Georgia. Carsley is expected to consider his future at the end of the tournament and contemplate a return to club coaching.