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• Carsley: Only the best should be considered for England role

  Lee Carsley said he understands his role as interim England head coach for the next three camps, insisting the best person should get the job on a full-time basis.

  Carsley kickstarted his Three Lions tenure with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland last weekend, with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish on the scoresheet.

  England continue their Nations League campaign on Tuesday against Finland at Wembley, an occasion they will be looking to mark with a win on Harry Kane's 100th international appearance.

  Carsley could also become the first manager since Fabio Capello in 2008 to win his first two competitive games in charge. 

  The only managers to win their first two England games at the helm without conceding a goal are Steve McClaren (2006), Ron Greenwood (1977) and Joe Mercer (1974).

  Despite his impressive start, Carsley said he was not thinking about taking on the job permanently just yet.

  "I feel like we are a step closer as a team. I try not to think about it too much. The best person should get the job," Carsley said.

  "I know my role for the next three camps, and I am comfortable with that."

  Carsley also explained his role for the next three camps, saying his full focus remained on the team.

  "I think it's quite clear I am doing the three camps," Carsley added.

  "I'm really happy with that, if it changes also I'm happy with that. I'm very privileged in the position I'm in, in terms of the Under-21s. I have enjoyed it so far.

  "The important thing is the team as opposed to the coaches - they should be the ones in the spotlight and getting the attention."

  England's next appointment will be a crucial one, having improved their recent tournament results by reaching the final of the last two European Championships under Gareth Southgate. 

  Carsley's relationship with the Under-21 team was a pivotal factor in replacing Southgate, having led the side to Euro Under-21 Championship glory last year.

  However, the likes of Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola have all been linked with the permanent role as the Three Lions look to end their wait for an international honour.

  And after England supporters got a glimpse of Carsley's style of play at the Aviva Stadium last weekend, the former Republic of Ireland midfielder is aiming to continue that same attacking tempo on his Wembley debut.

  "It's important that we are exciting to watch," Carsley said.

  "I think when fans come and watch England play at home, they expect attacking football, they expect chances to be created and to play with a tempo."

• Kane at the peak of his powers as he takes inspiration from Ronaldo's 900th goal

  Harry Kane feels at his peak ahead of his landmark England appearance on Tuesday, taking inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo's latest goal-scoring achievement.

  Kane is set to make his 100th England appearance at Wembley in their Nations League fixture with Finland, becoming only the 10th player to reach that milestone. 

  His landmark appearance will see him awarded with a golden cap ahead of kick-off, the first player to receive one since Wayne Rooney did so in November 2014.

  The Bayern Munich striker has made 86 starts for the Three Lions and has 83 goal involvements (66 goals - an England record - and 17 assists) to his name.

  He averages a goal every 117 minutes, having 3.5 shots and 1.6 shots on target per 90, creating an average of 1.1 chances per 90.

  Since his international debut in 2015, Kane has won 61 of his matches for England, giving him a 61.6% win ratio while also captaining the side to two major tournament finals.

  At 31-years-old, many believe his time on the international stage may come to an end soon, but Kane has taken inspiration from Ronaldo, who, at 39-years-old, netted his 900th career goal against Croatia last week.

  "I feel in really good shape, both physically and mentally, at a peak in my career," Kane said.

  "Watching other players, [Cristiano] Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal, seeing him compete at 39 years old inspires me to play for as long as possible.

  "I love this game, I love representing England - more than anything and I don’t want it to end any time soon.

  "For me, personally, now it’s about continuing to improve and being consistent both in an England shirt and at club level.

  "I’m hungry for more. I’m determined to keep pushing the boundaries."

  81 of Kane's 99 caps came under former England head coach Gareth Southgate, with the others coming under Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, and most recently, Lee Carsley. 

  Carsley got his reign as the Three Lions' interim boss with an impressive 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, with goals coming from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish. 

  Kane managed the most shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (nine) at the Aviva Stadium and is enjoying life under the 50-year-old.

  "It has been really good. A new energy into the place especially after the disappointing end to the summer," Kane said.

  "It has been great to work with the boss so far. He's brought his ideas, how he wants us to play. I think the lads have enjoyed it.

  "We've got a good mixture of youth and experience in the team. You're seeing the excited faces of some of the new players."

• 'Coldplay can't be number one every week' – Root confident in England's approach

  England have much to be positive about despite losing the final Test of their three-match series against Sri Lanka.

  That is the view of Joe Root, who was named England's Player of the Series.

  England were firmly second best as they lost by eight wickets at The Oval in the third Test, with Sri Lanka picking up just their fourth win in the longest format on English soil.

  Yet after winning the first two Tests, and their three matches against West Indies earlier in the summer, England have plenty to be happy with, so says Root, who used a musical comparison to emphasise his point.

  "Not so much this week, but it has been a good summer," Root told BBC Sport.

  "We have played some really good cricket along the way. We have had new faces come into the team and some really exciting prospects off the back of that. We are constantly learning and evolving as a group, and it is nice to contribute to that.

  "I don't think we played our best cricket this week and that is going to happen from time to time. Coldplay can't be number one every week.

  "My point being is we are always trying to move the game forward. We wanted to keep our catchers in and as batters want to find ways of putting the opposition under pressure.

  "We are not always going to get it right all of the time. For 90% of the summer we have. We have shown what a good team we can be when we play in that matter.

  "It is important we are authentic to what we are as a team and what brings out the best in our individual players."

  Root plundered 375 runs across six innings in the series, including two hundreds in the second Test.

  However, only scoring 25 in the third Test means he is 14 runs short of 1,000 for 2024.

  He will likely get the chance to surpass that milestone, and equal Alastair Cook as the only other English player to score 1,000+ runs in five calendar years, when England tour Pakistan in October.

  "You can laud it when it comes off," Root continued on England's approach. "When it doesn't always come off it might not look like traditional dismissals, but [Pathum] Nissanka was hitting over mid-on and mid-off last night.

  "When you are 127 not out you can look back and say what a brilliant innings it was. He was brave enough to take the challenge on and that is what we pride ourselves on as well - how can you knock bowlers off a length, how can you make it difficult for them to build pressure on you.

  "Some of our guys have a different method to how I would do it and that is what makes us such a good team when we are at our best, because we compliment each other really well and find a different way of getting teams to bowl away from where the danger is.

  "Over the last couple of years, that is what has made us have the success we have had."

  England's focus now switches to an ODI series against Australia, with bowler Gus Atkinson having been rested after sustaining an injury at The Oval.