Carver in charge as Speed heads home to Wales

Carver will be installed as caretaker-manager by the Blades

today and Speed's appointment as new manager of Wales is set to be confirmed at a 2pm press conference.

Former Newcastle United and Leeds United coach Carver will have a minimum of four games to prove his worth before the Blades decide what to do next.

Speed, 41, has agreed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Football Association of Wales and replaces John Toshack, who stepped down as manager three months ago.

He had been in charge of the Blades for just 18 games but his rapid rise to the international stage has underlined his status in the game. He also beat off competition from current caretaker manager Brian Flynn, former Sweden manager Lars Lagerbeck, and ex-Coventry City manager Chris Coleman to land the job.

Lagerback, who guided Sweden to three European Championships and two World Cups, had been regarded as favourite before Speed emerged as a serious candidate last Thursday.

His first competitive game in charge will be against England in a Euro 2012 qualifier in March.

Speed, who won 85 caps for Wales as a player, was staying tight-lipped about his decision yesterday and had played down speculation surrounding his

future at the weekend.

The former Leeds midfielder had spent the last three years at Bramall Lane after originally moving to the club as a player in January 2008. A back injury signalled the end of his playing career just 10 months later at which stage he switched his attention to coaching alongside former manager Kevin Blackwell.

The Blades will receive around 200,000 in compensation from the FAW – satisfying a severance clause in Speed's contract – but, with finances tight and pressure to reduce the wage bill, there will be no money to fund a high-profile replacement.

Carver, who quit Plymouth in August to move to Bramall Lane as Speed's senior coach, starts in pole position. He had recently returned from a coaching spell in the USA and previously worked alongside the late Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United.

With only one point separating the club from the Championship relegation zone, the Blades board are under immense pressure to find a manager capable of lifting the club up the table on a limited budget.

Former Portsmouth and Crystal Palace manager Paul Hart and former Hull City manager Phil Brown are both understood to be keen on the job while former player Chris Wilder is another possibility after his success at Oxford United and achievements with Halifax Town.

Although Sam Allardyce was axed by Blackburn Rovers yesterday and would be a popular choice, it is unlikely that the Blades could afford his wages.

It will be Carver, 45, who leads the Blades into this weekend's home game with Swansea City and, more than likely, the subsequent three games in seven days over the festive period against Hull City, Norwich City and Burnley.

If results and performances impress, Carver will be offered his first crack at full-time management.

However, he will need to improve on his last spell as a caretaker-manager, four years ago at Leeds. Carver stepped into the breach at Elland Road following the departure of Kevin Blackwell but Leeds suffered four defeats in five games before chairman Ken Bates secured the services of former Chelsea player Dennis Wise from Swindon Town.

Blades chief executive Trevor Birch will have a major say in the next managerial appointment along with Plc chairman Kevin McCabe and new football club chairman Chris Steer.

Although the Blades are disappointed to wave farewell to Speed, club officials felt it would have been wrong to stand in his way considering the nature of the job on offer and his status as one of Welsh football's great servants.

The club's players have been told not to comment on their manager's departure at this stage but are shocked by the news.

Former Welsh international Robbie Savage, now a pundit on BBC Radio Five Live, has backed Speed's appointment saying: "I know Gary very well and had the privilege to play with him for a number of years.

"He commands respect. He got his first opportunity with Sheffield United and they are struggling near the bottom of the table but he has been left with a squad and the previous manager got sacked because, the squad he inherited, they didn't think was good enough (sic). I heard about Lagerback but I wanted a Welsh manager first and foremost."

Fulham manager Mark Hughes who landed the Welsh job in 1999 aged just 35, said: "It's early in his managerial career but it's a similar situation to how I found myself.

"If Gary sees his future as a manager, then being an international coach for Wales is a fantastic grounding. Most people say it's a job for an older, more experienced manager. Sometimes that can be the case, but for a young manager to be exposed to international football and to learn and grow, it's perfect."