Reason Thomas Tuchel isn't managing England yet as he misses Greece and Ireland matches

England fans will have to wait until next year to see Thomas Tuchel take charge of the team, with Lee Carsley overseeing the Nations League games against Greece and Ireland

Despite the recent appointment of Thomas Tuchel, it'll be Lee Carsley at the helm for England’s Nations League double-header against Greece and Ireland.

The Three Lions are under pressure to secure victories in Athens this evening (Thursday) and against Ireland at Wembley on Sunday to clinch the top spot in League B Group 2 and earn a return to League A. However, even with two wins, they may still require a favourable goal difference swing to overtake the Greeks, who secured an impressive victory at Wembley earlier in the campaign.

Despite the high stakes, Tuchel will be absent from the sidelines as he doesn’t officially start his tenure until January 1 after signing an 18-month contract, which expires after the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.

In the meantime, interim boss Carsley will guide the team before resuming his role with the under-21s. The late start date for Tuchel, who has been out of work following his departure from Bayern Munich in the summer, has raised eyebrows.

During his unveiling as Gareth Southgate’s successor, both he and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham were questioned about the delayed start. Bullingham explained that Tuchel's desire to focus solely on the World Cup was a key factor in the decision.

He said: "When we first spoke to him, we had our timescale, Thomas had his timescale and it just fitted really well. What was so impressive was his singular focus on us and the World Cup and that project.

"It made sense for it to start on January 1 and made sense for Lee to finish the campaign in the Nations League. So we’re very comfortable where we are and that’s what we’ll be doing."

YOUR TURN! Should Tuchel have already started work? Tell us in the comments section.

Tuchel also stated his clear focus on the next World Cup. The 51-year-old said: "It was important for me to narrow it down into a project and not lose the focus, to start in another competition, the Nations League, then go into qualification and the tournament.

"I wanted to have a clean start and a bit of time to recharge fully and start in January and start the first camp in March."

The FA at least took Tuchel off the job market after he was again linked with Manchester United, who sacked Erik ten Hag shortly after his appointment by the FA. With Tuchel unavailable, United have recruited Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, who is starting work at Old Trafford this week.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.