Lee Carsley explains why he'll refuse to sing national anthem when England take on Ireland

Lee Carsley takes charge of his first game as interim England manager but won’t be taking part in ‘God Save The King’.

The Nations League opener makes a new era for the Three Lions with Carsley given his first chance to impress after temporarily being handed the reins.

Gareth Southgate, who was England’s longest serving manager, stepped down after defeat to Spain in the EURO 2024 final and the Football Association settled on promoting former England U21 boss Carsley to the senior side on an interim basis.

Huge names like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have been linked with the jobs but reports have already emerged that the current England squad are behind Carsley getting the job permanently.

Carsley represented Saturday’s opponents the Republic of Ireland on 40 occasions due to being eligible through his grandmother.

However, he’s admitted he won’t be partaking in singing the national anthem at the Aviva Stadium as he prefers to focus on the game like he did as a player.

“This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland,” he said during his pre-match press conference.

“The gap between your warm-up, your coming on to the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So it’s something that I have never done.

“I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off.

“I was really focused on the football and I have taken that in to coaching. We had the national anthem with the Under-21s also and I am in a zone at that point.

“I am thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game.

“I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It’s something I am really respectful of.”

Lee Carsley won't be singing the national anthem (Getty)

Carsley has brought Manchester City star Jack Grealish back into the fold after the winger was snubbed by Southgate for the summer’s European Championship.

Chelsea star Levi Colwill is set to feature at left-back after emerging as a key player for Carsley’s U21 side.

Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke could also feature for the senior side for the first time in Dublin.