Lee Carsley confirms first England squad for Ireland and Finland games as Kieran Trippier announces retirement

Lee Carsley has named his first squad as interim England manager for upcoming matches against Ireland and Finland.

This is the start of a new era for England, who said goodbye to Gareth Southgate at the end of Euro 2024. Southgate had been in charge of England for just under eight years, replacing Sam Allardyce in 2016.

During Southgate’s tenure, England reached the final of two European Championships and the World Cup semi-final. But there was a feeling of England coming up short and missing out on at least one European Championship success.

With Carsley in charge, there were a lot of questions as to the makeup of his first squad. Would he integrate more of the under-21 players or will it be more of the same?

Well, four players have received their first call ups for this international break. In defence, Newcastle’s Tino Livramento has been given a call up. In midfield, Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes are in the squad, while Noni Madueke is uncapped among the forwards.

Gibbs-White was a player many had tipped to go to Euro 2024 under Southgate and he wasn’t shy to hint at his unhappiness when snubbed.

There are returns to the squad for Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire, both of whom missed Euro 2024. Maguire’s absence from the tournament was due to injury, while Grealish was dropped. Jude Bellingham sits out due to injury.

Nick Pope is also back in the England squad, replacing Aaron Ramsdale as the third goalkeeper alongside Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson.

Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill have earned recalls, having made their senior debuts in November and October respectively.

Eight of England’s 26-man squad for the Nations League are aged 23 or under, while half were born in 2000 or later. And six (Levi Colwill, Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Gomes and Madueke) were part of the England Under-21 squad that won the European Championships in 2023.

One man not in the squad is Kieran Trippier. The full-back, who had been played as a left-back at times for Gareth Southgate, has called time on his international career. Trippier retires from international football with 54 caps and one goal. Of course, that one goal was iconic, a free-kick in England’s 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia.

“I never thought as a young lad from Bury that I would play for my country, let alone achieve 54 caps. It’s been one of the biggest honours of my life to represent my country at four major tournaments,” Trippier said in a statement.

“I want to say a big thank you to Gareth and all the staff that have worked with the England squad for the trust they have placed in me throughout the years.

“Thank you to all my team mates – we have had some very special moments reaching 2 Euro finals, and a World Cup semi final and I am sure in the future this group of players will win a major tournament.

“I want to wish Lee, the coaching staff and the team all the best for the future. And finally, a big thank you to all the England fans for your incredible support travelling all over the world to support us and keeping us going in the difficult moments.”

Also dropping out from England’s Euro 2024 squad alongside Bellingham, Ramsdale and Trippier are Kyle Walker, Lewis Dunk, Adam Wharton and Ivan Toney.

England’s 26-man squad for Ireland and Finland

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Man City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City)