He helped to set up Kane’s first goal against Finland with another piece of intelligence, creating the most chances for England on the night with five. It is the third time he has created five or more chances for his country since 2019, with no other player doing so on more than one occasion in that time.
Carsley was full of praise, saying: “You have seen Trent’s array of passing, an ability to control a game. It’s not a surprise as we have seen him do it for Liverpool.”
As with England, greater tests will lie ahead for Alexander-Arnold, especially defensively but Carsley’s words will be music to the ears of the 25-year-old, who has sometimes looked a little unloved on international duty.
The big bonus for Carsley is that his selection decisions have also enabled him to highlight the scale of options open to him, with Newcastle United/’s Anthony Gordon showing the pace and creation to add to options on the left flank while Jack Grealish has made his impact in the number 10 role.
This had all happened with the hugely-gifted trio Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden out with injury and illness.
England’s interim manager was brutally honest about feeling his way into his new role, saying: “I definitely don’t feel comfortable still.
“I have been out of my comfort zone. It’s been enjoyable but we have had to make sure every single day we are producing high standards. We are fortunate to have got two good results so it is about building on that.”
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “As you can imagine it is a test. Not only for myself, but for the rest of the staff. We have shown to ourselves that we can do it and we can implement what we are trying to do. We can put ideas in place and the players have responded really well to what we have asked.”
The straight bat was still being pushed firmly forward at Wembley when he was asked whether this meant he was saying he wanted the job: “I will definitely not be saying that. I am totally relaxed about the situation. I have got to do a good job.”
Carsley’s next assignment is at home to Greece at Wembley in October followed by a trip to Helsinki to face Finland – two more wins and his bandwagon might just start to gather unstoppable momentum.