England U21 coach Lee Casley signed a new contract with the FA, valid until 2027. After leading the England adult team back to the top European National League group in November last year, Casley's future once became the focus of speculation fro...
England U21 coach Lee Casley signed a new contract with the FA, valid until 2027.
After leading the England adult team back to the top European National League group in November last year, Casley's future once became the focus of speculation from the outside world. Casley, 51, had previously signed a contract once a year and now he has promised to continue playing for the FA for the next two years. And just a week later, the England U21 team will strive to defend their 2023 European Youth Championship, the first time they have won the honor since 1982 and 1984. This European Youth Championship will be held in Slovakia this month, with England's first match against the Czech Republic on June 12.
Casley: "I just renewed my contract, and there will be the European Youth Championship and the next event. My future will definitely be in the FA." Will I continue to be the head coach of the U21 or is there any possibility of other positions? "I will look at the development of the situation. I think the most important thing is to do my job well. I just want to win the Europa League again. The top priority at the moment is Europa League, I won't be distracted."
"First of all, we have to remember the age of the players, they still need a lot of support." Casley said, his team will be in the same group as Slovenia, Germany and the Czech Republic. "We have enough space in our schedule to make sure they have a chance to have medical examinations or communicate with the club, and we are currently helping two or three players. Of course I hope they are all here, you want to have the strongest roster, but we have to put the interests of the players first, which is what we are doing."
Casley puts higher demands on this year's team: "First of all, we can improve our performance at some point. We talked about controlling the game, and hopefully this will help players get into the adult national team. I've seen this possibility. Hopefully our performance will make the audience excited, and that's what you want. You want people to watch and be excited about the new generation of England players in the country."
Casley gave several 2023 European Youth Championship members the chance to make their debut in England, with seven of them making their squads in Tuchel's World Cup qualifiers against Andorra on Saturday and the friendly match against Senegal next Tuesday. He said: "It's inspiring for this team. Nine of the last team that won the European Youth Championship made their debut on the senior team. What an inspiration to win a tournament and make such progress so that players can make a smooth transition."
