Harry Kane hailed "top drawer" Lee Carsley after he closed his interim spell as England boss with a thumping win and promotion in the Nations League.

The Three Lions brushed aside 10-man Republic of Ireland 5-0 at Wembley on Sunday, with Kane scoring the opener before Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis all netted their first international goals.

Carsley finished with five wins and one defeat, as they finished top of Group B2, using his time in charge to give younger players opportunities in the first team ahead of Thomas Tuchel's arrival in January.

Kane believes he has stood England in good stead for the future and was pleased to finish the Nations League campaign on a high.

"A really important win for us. It has been a really good camp and two tough games," Kane told ITV Sport.

"We got the job done in Greece and again here. It was a tough first half, but we came out with more energy, and we finished it off.

"We spoke about new opportunities for new lads, and they've shown why they are here and a couple of good finishes. It was nice for Jarrod [Bowen] too to come on and score straight away.

"Thomas has a lot of players to choose from. A lot of young players that have come in and done well and some more experienced players that are injured and will be looking to come back, so there's a good balance. I'm sure he [Tuchel] will be looking at everyone.

"[Carsley] has been top drawer, him and all the staff. After the Euros, it was never going to be easy to come and go straight into the Nations League and sometimes the motivation is a bit less.

"I'm really glad we won today and finish off on a high."

Sunday's win marked the first time four players have scored their first England goal in the same game since October 1930 v Northern Ireland, when Harry Burgess, Jimmy Hampson, Sammy Crooks, Eric Houghton were on target.

Harwood-Bellis, who was the most used player by Carsley at Under-21 level, was the eighth player to be handed a debut by the former Ireland and Everton midfielder.

"It is a great day for me and my family. It's every young kid's dream to make their debut, and to score the goal is magical," the Southampton defender told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I had a few hints yesterday that I would be needed at some point, when I got the nod to come on, I was over the moon.

"There's always a pathway and us young ones, we do believe we can get into the seniors. We know the door is open if we take our chances. I've got to thank Lee [Carsley] for calling me up and I have repaid him with a nice goal.

"Playing for my country at every level is something I take such pride in. To play for the seniors is something you dream of; it is the pinnacle of football, to do it and score is some feeling."

Gordon netted the second of England's goals with a volleyed finish, hitting the back of the net for his country for the first time from his ninth cap.

"Better late than never. It's definitely about time!" he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It was a good feeling to see it hit the net, I got to spend it with some of the lads that I have come through the England setup, that made it a bit more special.

"They made it really hard; they were defending with 11 players behind the ball, but I said to the lads, 'They can't keep up that running for 90 minutes, it is not possible'.

"I think Lee deserves a lot of credit; he fills us with so much confidence."

Lee Carsley is eager to offer information and assistance to England's incoming head coach Thomas Tuchel.

Carsley signed off as England's interim manager with an impressive 5-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland, who were reduced to 10 men.

All of England's goals came in the second half at Wembley, where Harry Kane's opener was swiftly built upon by maiden international goals for Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

The victory ensured the Three Lions were promoted back to the top tier of the Nations League ahead of Tuchel's official arrival as coach in January.

And while Carsley hinted he has not loved his time in charge of the senior side, he is keen to give Tuchel a helping hand when the German starts.

"The pool of players has increased," Carsley told BBC Radio 5 Live, having handed out eight debuts in total across his spell in charge.

"I'll give him as much information that he needs.

"I have enjoyed it in parts, the games have always been the best bit.

"I am still gutted about the Greece game at home, if anything I am not thinking about the five wins, it is the one we have lost."

Greece beat England at Wembley last month, but the Three Lions bounced back on Thursday with a 3-0 win in Athens, paving the way for victory over Ireland to ensure their promotion from League B.

"We spoke about it at the first press conference, about gaining promotion in the Nations League, and it was a relief if I'm honest," said Carsley.

"I don't think you can ever get too excited, the performance against Greece was so good. For at least three minutes on the coach driving to the airport I was excited, but then I was thinking we have got another game.

"I enjoyed watching the lads, to play with the aggression and intent that they played with.

"I loved the reaction from the crowd at half-time. If they had got a bit nervy that would have transferred to the players. I think they could tell the players were playing with intent."

England's win was the biggest by a manager in their final match with the Three Lions since Graham Taylor in November 1993 (7-1 v San Marino).

On what was their 19th meeting, this was England’s biggest ever victory over Ireland.

Having been 0-0 at half-time, this was also England’s biggest ever margin of victory (five) in a game that had been goalless at the break.

Lee Carsley signed off as England's interim manager with an emphatic 5-0 win over 10-man Republic of Ireland that sealed the Three Lions' Nations League promotion.

England took advantage of Liam Scales' sending-off with a ruthless second-half attacking display, with four first-time scorers helping to secure top spot in Group B2 and passage back to League A.

The first half was tight, with few chances for either side after Curtis Jones' early strike was deflected wide before Kyle Walker headed over from the resulting corner.

Yet the floodgates opened with three goals in the space of five minutes after the break.

Scales received a second yellow card for tripping Jude Bellingham in the box, and Harry Kane marked his return to the side by expertly dispatching the penalty.

Anthony Gordon volleyed in his first England goal shortly after, before Conor Gallagher was alert to meet Marc Guehi's flick-on at a corner.

Jarrod Bowen then made an instant impact after his introduction, sweeping a Bellingham corner through the crowd with his first touch of the match.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis rounded things off in the 79th minute, grabbing a debut goal as he thumped a header past Caoimhin Kelleher from six yards out after meeting another Bellingham corner.

Data Debrief: First time for everything

Carsley said on Saturday that he believed he was leaving the England squad in a good place for incoming boss Thomas Tuchel, having widened the pool of young players.

He has certainly done his bit, handing out eight senior debuts in all, with Tino Livramento and Harwood-Bellis the players to benefit against Ireland. 

Meanwhile, in Gordon, Gallagher, Bowen, and Harwood-Bellis, four players have scored their first England goal in the same game for the first time since October 1930 v Northern Ireland, when Harry Burgess, Jimmy Hampson, Sammy Crooks, Eric Houghton were on target.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Kyle Walker made his 38th England appearance at Wembley, overtaking Wayne Rooney's total at the venue (37) – only Peter Shilton (52), Bobby Charlton (44), Bobby Moore (43), and Stuart Pearce (41) have now played there more often for the Three Lions.

Carsley, who has collected the biggest win as an interim England boss since Graham Taylor oversaw a 7-1 victory over San Marino in 1993, started his short reign with a win over Ireland in September, and England have now won three consecutive games against them for the very first time. 

England interim manager Lee Carsley said the widened pool of young players available for selection will help incoming boss Thomas Tuchel.

Carsley was handed the reins to the national team temporarily following Gareth Southgate's departure and has given opportunities to young players during his short spell, which will end with the Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday. 

The 50-year-old has handed debuts to six players - Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Lewis Hall, Morgan Rogers and Curtis Jones - during his five-match reign. 

"The challenge [for the young players] is to stay there now. It's a tough squad to get into, and they've put themselves in the picture," the outgoing coach said. 

"It's good for Thomas [Tuchel, who takes charge on January 1] that the pool has increased.

"I've seen them up close. I know what they're capable of, and they've got the mentality to compete. There are so many quality players, the competition is extreme, and they've got to stay in the race."

Carsley came under pressure after the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Greece at Wembley in October, but a 3-0 win in the return fixture on Thursday has put them in a strong position in their Nations League group. 

Harry Kane says his comments on club versus country got more attention than he expected and were "just a reminder" to his team-mates instead of a criticism.

England suffered nine injury withdrawals after Lee Carsley's squad was announced, with Kane seemingly questioning the commitment of those who dropped out, saying "England comes before everything".

Despite their many absences, a young England side recorded a 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday to send them top of their Nations League group.

However, the Three Lions have since seen a 10th withdrawal from the squad, with Ezri Konsa returning to Aston Villa after going off with a hip complaint in that game.

Speaking for the first time since that interview, Kane explained he was keen to preserve the team culture Gareth Southgate fostered by using these international breaks effectively.

"All the players try and give their best whenever they come with England. I know it's a really tough stage of the season," he said in a press conference.

"Whoever is in the squad is the most important thing. Whatever we have here is all we can work with.

"Going forward there are always going to be injuries, it is just whoever is with the squad is ready to make a difference."

On the attention his comments got, Kane added: "I didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did. The November camp has always been difficult - you're in the heart of a lot of games.

"So, it's just my opinion that it is really important after a major championship, where September, October, November camps are really important in a year ahead to the World Cup.

"These are the camps as well where you build that culture and that togetherness that lead you into a World Cup. It was just a reminder that it's really, really special to play for England."

Kane started the match against Greece on the bench, with Ollie Watkins leading the line in his place. The Villa forward scored seven minutes in, before being replaced by the England captain in the 66th minute.

Interim boss Carsley, who is taking charge of his final game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1, confirmed that Kane would be back in the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

"Yes, he is definitely playing," Carsley said.

"With Harry Kane, you always think goals, but he brings a lot more to the squad and the team than that. His leadership skills, he's a good guy, which is really important as well.

"The example he sets to the younger players, he's a crucial part of the England team and also moving forward."

England and Greece are both level on 12 points after five games, but the former have a better head-to-head goal difference, so a win over Ireland would see them promoted back to League A. 

Republic of Ireland winger Mikey Johnston said the team had always trusted Caoimhin Kelleher after he made a crucial penalty save in their 1-0 Nations League win over Finland.

Johnston's corner set up Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson for the decisive goal on the stroke of half-time, after Finland had twice been denied by the woodwork.

The visitors had a golden chance to level in the second half, but Liverpool goalkeeper Kelleher made a stunning save to deny Joel Pohjanpalo from 12 yards following a handball from Ferguson.

The result means Finland are relegated from Group B2, while Ireland must come through a play-off to remain in the competition's second tier.

Speaking after the game, Johnston credited Kelleher's all-important penalty save, saying: "I always trust him to go and save a penalty. He has reacted really well and stepped up in a big moment.

"We were aiming for the win. They had moments but there were a few chances we could have taken as well. 

"We're happy that we've come away with the win. Sometimes in the last year we would have been on the other side of a bit of bad luck."

Ireland round off their campaign against England on Sunday, in Lee Carsley's final game in charge of the Three Lions before Thomas Tuchel takes the reins in January.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis revealed he was in a state of disbelief when he was told about his first call-up to the England senior team last week.

Harwood-Bellis, along with Newcastle's Lewis Hall, received their maiden Three Lions call-ups in Lee Carsley's final squad as interim head coach. 

The Southampton defender has impressed under Russell Martin this season, featuring in all of their Premier League fixtures so far this season. 

Harwood-Bellis has won more aerial duels (13) for the Saints in the top-flight this term, with only Jan Bednarek (888) completing more passes than the 22-year-old (684). 

He is also someone well known to the interim boss from his time in charge of England's Under-21's side, with his 21 appearances more than any other player during Carsley's tenure in the current Three Lions squad.

"Lee Carsley rang me in the morning and said, 'you'll be with us, with the seniors'. I didn't quite believe it at first," he told a press conference.

"My partner was next to me and I phoned my dad, who was very proud. He loves when I play for England, even the younger age groups.

"One of the first people to message me was Aaron Ramsdale. I was happy to see his name as he's one of my mates at the club."

Unfortunately for Harwood-Bellis, Ramsdale has since pulled out of the squad with a finger injury and has been replaced by Burnley's James Trafford. 

England travel to Athens to take on Group B2 leaders Greece on Thursday before returning to Wembley three days later as they square off against the Republic of Ireland. 

With a number of first-team regulars out through injury, Harwood-Bellis has the opportunity to become the first Saints player to represent England since Kyle Walker-Peters did so back in 2022.

The defender understood the potential ramifications of performing well for the Three Lions during this international break, with Thomas Tuchel taking over in the new year.

"It will be a big motivation for all of the lads, knowing that there's a new manager coming in and wanting to keep your spot," he said. 

"That's something that especially the younger lads will be pushing towards. 

"It's going to be difficult because of the quality and experience in some of the lads that aren't here is massive.

"It'll be difficult, but it'll be something that I'll focus on week in and week out for Southampton and if I get minutes here."

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Declan Rice headlined England's latest withdrawals from Lee Carsley's final squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures. 

The Three Lions take on Greece this Thursday before returning to Wembley three days later to face the Republic of Ireland, but will be without eight key players for those games.

Alexander-Arnold was replaced by Conor Bradley in the 25th minute of Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, though Arne Slot is hopeful the injury is not a serious one.

And his absence will be felt by the Three Lions. Only Mohamed Salah (21) has created more chances for the Reds in the Premier League this term than Alexander-Arnold (20). 

Palmer, who missed training following a challenge from Lisandro Martinez during Chelsea’s draw with Manchester United before playing against Arsenal, is another to drop out. 

This season, Palmer's 12 goal involvements (seven goals, five assists) in the Premier League is only bettered by Liverpool's Salah (14). 

Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Rice also miss out, with the latter dealing with a foot injury that forced him to miss the Gunners' Champions League defeat to Inter last week. 

Rice was substituted in the 71st minute of their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday, with Saka limping off 10 minutes from time at Stamford Bridge. 

Phil Foden and Jack Grealish are also ruled out, with Pep Guardiola expressing his frustration about the latter's inclusion by Carsley after ruling him out of their trip to Brighton.

Southampton's Aaron Ramsdale and Chelsea's Levi Colwill have also withdrawn from the initial 26-man squad. 

It has, however, opened the door for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers to receive his first senior call after impressing under Unai Emery this season. 

Rogers has three goals and three assists in 15 appearances in all competitions for the Villans this term, a total only bettered by Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins (both eight). 

Jarrod Bowen and Jarrad Branthwaite along with the uncapped Tino Livramento and James Trafford have also been added to Carsley's ranks. 

Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman has been ruled out of his side's upcoming Nations League fixtures against Finland and England next week. 

Coleman sustained a foot injury in Ireland's Nations League defeat to the Three Lions in September and has made just two appearances in all competitions for Everton this term.

Sean Dyche confirmed in the lead up to the Toffees' goalless draw with West Ham at the weekend that the 36-year-old was now struggling with a minor hamstring issue. 

Norwich City defender Shane Duffy and Celtic forward Adam Idah have also withdrawn from Heimir Hallgrimsson's squad, despite featuring for their clubs at the weekend. 

Since sealing a permanent move to Celtic after a successful loan spell last season, Idah has netted five goals in 15 appearances for Brendan Rodgers' side in all competitions.

The trio have been replaced by Southampton's Ryan Manning, Everton's Jake O'Brien and Wolves' Matt Doherty, who was dropped from the squad for their October fixtures. 

Hallgrimsson's side welcome Finland to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, hoping to improve on their recent record in the Nations League. 

They have won just 15% of their 20 games in the competition (W3 D6 L11), with only Iceland (5.6%), San Marino (6.3%), Andorra (10.0%) and Liechtenstein (10.5%) winning fewer.

Ireland then travel to Wembley to face England four days later in what will be Lee Carsley's final game in interim charge before Thomas Tuchel takes the reins in the new year.

Republic of Ireland squad in full: 

Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (Bournemouth), Max O'Leary (Bristol City); Matt Doherty (Wolves), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Ryan Manning (Southampton), Mark McGuinness (Luton Town), Liam Scales (Celtic), Jake O'Brien (Everton), Callum O'Dowda (Cardiff City); Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), Andy Moran (Stoke City, on loan from Brighton); Evan Ferguson (Brighton), Tom Cannon (Stoke City, on loan from Leicester City), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Festy Ebosele (Watford, on loan from Udinese), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Mikey Johnston (West Brom).

England interim boss Lee Carsley has named the final Three Lions squad of his tenure before Thomas Tuchel takes the reins at the start of next year. 

Carsley handed first senior call-ups to Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Newcastle's Lewis Hall for their Nations League fixtures against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

Harwood-Bellis has played in all the Saints' Premier League fixtures so far this season, and is someone Carsley knows well.

The defender made 21 appearances under Carsley with England's Under-21's side, more than any other player during his time in charge.

Hall has also been in fine form. His 11 successful crosses and 15 chances created are totals only bettered by Anthony Gordon (15 and 20) in the Premier League for Newcastle.

The only other uncapped player in the squad is Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, while there is no place for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.

Cole Palmer has also been handed a place in the 26-man squad despite missing Chelsea training this week after picking up a knock against Manchester United at the weekend.

Kobbie Mainoo misses out through injury along with Manchester City's John Stones. Nick Pope was also dropped from the squad, with Aaron Ramsdale coming in. 

England face Group B2 leaders Greece in Athens on November 14 before rounding off their Nations League campaign at Wembley against Ireland three days later.

England squad in full: 

Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton); Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton); Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Curtis Jones (Liverpool); Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham).

Greece continued their perfect Nations League start after making it four wins in as many games thanks to a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

Ivan Jovanovic's side stunned England on Thursday with a 2-1 victory, and followed that Wembley win up with another three points in Piraeus, where tributes were paid to George Baldock after his death this week.

The hosts dominated the first half without reward, with Caoimhin Kelleher forced into a number of saves, though Evan Ferguson spurned a glorious early chance at the other end.

That resistance was broken after 48 minutes as captain Anastasios Bakasetas combined with Christos Tzolis before the former's strike nipped off Liam Scales before looping over the powerless Kelleher.

Odysseas Vlachodimos needed to be alert as debutant Jack Taylor almost diverted Josh Cullen's delightful cross over the Greece goalkeeper, who reacted well to tip over the bar past the hour.

Petros Mantalos made sure of victory in stoppage time, however, capitalising on Kelleher's woeful pass before slotting home with ease.

The win caps an emotional week for Greece, who held a minute's silence for full-back Baldock before the victory that moved them three points clear of England ahead of their meeting in Athens in November.

Data Debrief: Brilliant Bakasetas

Bakasetas has been directly involved in 46% of all of Greece's goals in the Nations League (13/28), scoring six and providing seven assists in his 21 matches.

His second-half heroics here helped Greece to a fifth straight win, keeping a clean sheet in four of those, across all competitions for the first time since October 2016.

Victory was deserved for the hosts, too, given they accumulated 2.15 expected goals (xG) to their visitors' 0.74 xG.

Caoimhin Kelleher is ready to leave Liverpool in search of first-team football.

Kelleher, 25, has been Alisson's back-up for several seasons at Anfield, though did play in some big games during Jurgen Klopp's time in charge.

That included starring in the EFL Cup final against Chelsea in 2022.

However, with Liverpool having signed Giorgi Mamardashvili, who will join next season, Kelleher believes the time is right to move on.

And the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper suggested he could have left this summer, if Liverpool had not rejected offers.

"I made it clear in the last few years I want to go be a number one and play week in, week out," said Kelleher ahead of Ireland's Nations League clash with Greece.

"The club made the decision to get another goalkeeper.

"From the outside looking in, it looks like they have made a decision to go in another direction.

"My ambition has always been clear the last few seasons that I want to be a number one, playing week in week out.

"At times it is not always in my hands. My mission was to go out and play, and be a number one.

"It has been reported that Liverpool had rejected a few bids as well. It is not always in my hands to make the decision. My ambition is to prove I am good enough to play week in, week out."

Kelleher made seven saves from nine shots against England on Saturday, and could do little to prevent either Declan Rice or Jack Grealish scoring to hand the Three Lions a 2-0 win.

England interim manager Lee Carsley believes he is capable of taking the job on a full-time basis, but conceded he had his doubts.

Carsley oversaw a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in his first match in charge since stepping in to replace Gareth Southgate on a temporary basis.

An extended audition continues on Tuesday when England take on Finland in their second Nations League match.

And Carsley acknowledged the performance and result against Ireland, who he represented as a player, has provided a much-needed confidence boost.

He said: "In the back of your mind you always think... you know, it's easy to be the England manager, isn't it, when you're sat in the house.

"There have been times when I've thought I'm not sure if I could do it.

"But it has done my confidence good, and the rest of the staff as well, that actually we're OK, we'll be all right.

"I spoke about it at the first press conference, [being] a safe pair of hands. I feel like we’re in a good position with the players.

"I think it's natural to have doubts.

"Going into the Euros with the Under-21s, with the record that we've got, there was a worry we could go home in 10 days. But I've learned with ­experience and dealing with ­setbacks, having good people around you, that it gets easier."

England managed some slick play in Dublin, in particular for their second goal, when Jack Grealish – returning to the fold after he was left out of the Euro 2024 squad – tucked home at the culmination of a sweeping team move.

The Three Lions controlled possession (76.4%), had 16 shots and accumulated 2.67 expected goals (xG), while Carsley handed starts to Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, Anthony Gordon on the left flank and then brought on Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes for their debuts.

"The end goal is doing that against the top teams in the world in the ­biggest moments," said Carsley.

"They have got two years to get to that point [before the 2026 World Cup]. We have gone a good way to doing that. We've had four ­training sessions, so it's early. The players have to take huge credit for trying a few things that we have worked on and going out there and doing it for themselves.

"We have to be careful with the term 'freedom'. We have tried to get really effective players in really ­effective areas, to do what they're good at.

"If you call that freedom, maybe it is. But within that there comes a real responsi­bility out of possession. I thought we did really well in that area. We made the pitch really small and were able to suffocate Ireland and get the ball back."

Declan Rice "was never going to celebrate" after scoring against the Republic of Ireland in England's 2-0 Nations League victory.

The midfielder was met by a hostile crowd in Dublin having previously represented Ireland before changing allegiance to England.

But Rice had the last laugh, lashing home in the 11th minute before teeing up Jack Grealish, who previously represented Ireland at youth level, to seal a comfortable win for Lee Carsley's side.

It marked his fourth goal for the Three Lions but Rice did not feel the need for celebrations.

"Obviously, it was an amazing feeling to score, but I was never going to celebrate. I have Irish family, my nan and grandad, who are not here anymore and I think it would have been disrespectful to them if I celebrated," he told beIN Sports.

"It happened six, seven years ago so it’s such a long time ago now. I get on really well with a lot of the Irish boys so there’s nothing hard done by, by me. Obviously, the fans feel a certain way, and that’s absolutely fine.

"I just wanted to focus and get my head back in the game to score more goals."

The last time Rice had played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin was six years and 97 days prior to Saturday's match. On that occasion, he represented Ireland against the USA in June 2018.

Now in the white shirt of England, Rice helped interim manager Carsley to a debut win in Dublin after the resignation of Gareth Southgate following Euro 2024.

"It's been refreshing this week to play with [Carsley] and play with his staff. We're playing in a different way to what we were before," reflected Rice.

"It's going to take a bit of time for us to be amazing at what we do, but a lot of the players that play at [Manchester] City, Liverpool, Arsenal, we play a similar way, so it's easy to adapt.

"It was really good, it was really refreshing. I'm feeling much fitter in myself which is a real positive. It was a really good result in the end."

While Rice now represents a relative stalwart of the England squad with 59 caps, former England Under-21s manager Carsley, himself an ex-Ireland international, handed debuts to Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes, while he also played Anthony Gordon and Levi Colwill from the start.

"We've obviously been really close now in back-to-back Euros, at a World Cup, so the next thing for England is to win," said Rice.

"We need to strive and keep building towards that. It’s a different group this time, more younger players, but I'm sure we’ll be better for it. Going forward, it's going to be really positive, and it's going to be a fresh start."

Lee Carsley insisted his England players "have to take all of the credit" after winning his debut match as England manager.

Interim boss Carsley oversaw a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League fixture at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

It marked the first time Ireland have lost a home match against England since May 1964.

The former England Under-21s manager, however, was keen to credit his players after first-half goals from Jack Grealish and Declan Rice saw England over the line.

"The lads have to take a lot of credit, all of the credit. I think we've showed we've got some real talent and we can be really pleased with the clean sheet as well," he told ITV.

"I thought it was good in parts. You've seen some of the things we've tried to do."

Carsley, who represented Ireland as a player, was vindicated in recalling Grealish after his omission from the Euros squad in the summer as the Manchester City playmaker doubled the lead in the 26th minute.

"I thought they [Rice and Grealish] took their goals really well. Really well-worked moves and brilliant finishes. I think, moving forward, they can both add a lot more goals to their game," he said.

"Jack definitely doesn't have anything to prove to us, we can see his quality, but today will have done him the world of good, getting another goal for England and hopefully he can continue that form."

The new England manager also opted to start Anthony Gordon on the left wing after the Newcastle United winger had struggled for minutes on the pitch under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024.

"On a really dry sticky pitch, it's not ideal for dribblers but I thought Anthony was a real threat. He's carried on his form from last season and he looks a really dangerous player," enthused Carsley of Gordon, who got all three of his shots on target and played two key passes.

The manager played his part in ending Ireland's four-game unbeaten run against the Three Lions on home soil (W1 D3), though England could have made their dominance pay more.

"I think you've got to give Ireland credit as well, they are very resilient, they closed the gaps and our space maybe became a bit wider [in the second half]," reflected Carsley.

"We found it a little bit more difficult to get through them but at 2-0 we were quite comfortable."