Lee Carsley returns to the England Under-21 team with pride after successfully guiding the senior squad back to the top division of the Nations League. The Three Lions secured promotion by defeating the Republic of Ireland, Carsley’s former team as a player, with a commanding 5-0 victory at Wembley on Sunday.

This match symbolized Carsley’s impact during his interim leadership, as four players scored their first international goals.

Throughout his six-match tenure, Carsley utilized 32 players and awarded debuts to eight young talents, many of whom he previously mentored as the Under-21 manager. His role as a bridge between Gareth Southgate and incoming manager Thomas Tuchel remains to be seen, but several players have evidently flourished under his guidance.

However, for some of Southgate’s long-standing players, the recent shifts may bring unease as they prepare for Tuchel’s arrival in January.

Mail Sport examines the key players who gained and those who lost ground under Carsley. Notably, Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold had struggled to earn Southgate’s trust, often playing behind Kyle Walker or Kieran Trippier.

Southgate’s brief experiment with him in midfield at the Euros only lasted 123 minutes, and he saw minimal action in the tournament’s final stages as England fell to Spain.

Carsley, in contrast, placed immediate trust in Alexander-Arnold, praising the 26-year-old as a “multi-versatile defender” and deploying him as a left-back in last month’s 3-1 win over Finland. This faith was rewarded, with Alexander-Arnold delivering Player of the Match performances in each of England’s first three victories under Carsley’s guidance.