Forget the superficial, Lee Carsley's bright mind could provide England with a touch of style - Stuart Rayner

They play the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday in their first Nations League game since relegation from the top group last season.

But all the interest comes from the man in the dugout with the word "interim" in his job title.

It feels like what England would most like is for Pep Guardiola to decide this Manchester City contract will be his last, and that when it ends next summer, he wants to manage the Three Lions.

There are a lot of "ifs", "buts" and "maybes" around a coach who is hard to second-guess, so whilst it all plays out, ex-Republic of Ireland midfielder Lee Carsley can start building his own case.

A caretaker playing himself into the England job is not new. Howard Wilkinson and Peter Taylor could not but Ron Greenwood, an initially reluctant Kevin Keegan and Gareth Southgate did.

A backroom boy in an undistinguished period of Sheffield United history, a short-lived manager of Brentford (he wanted to go back to youth football) and a caretaker at Coventry City and Birmingham City, Carsley's CV does not scream future England manager to those who take a superficial glance.

Coaches coming up through the system are en vogue at international level, though.

Whatever his critics, Southgate was England's most successful manager since Alf Ramsey after making the same jump from Under-21 to senior coach. The man who beat him in the last European Championship final, Luis de la Fuente, did likewise with Spain, as did World Cup winner Lionel Scaloni with Argentina.

Even so, if it becomes a fashion parade, Carsley has no chance. If it is about bright ideas, he might.

Carsley beat Spain to win the European Under-21 Championship in 2023 with brighter football than Southgate could muster and an imaginative approach to how he used players – Everton playmaker James Garner at right-back, Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon at centre-forward, right-footer Max Aarons at left-back and No 10 Morgan Gibbs-White as an orthodox midfielder.

His willingness to think outside the box will delight Southgate's critics – if he does not lose.

How different it will be we will find out at 5pm on Saturday, how long-lasting maybe not until next year. This could be the start of something special or the writing of a new pub quiz question.

One thing could be very unusual though: How England play in the next four days will possibly carry more weight than scorelines because after years of being spoilt by results, the Three Lions are looking to a bald, one-time midfield water-carrier with a Midlands accent for a bit of style.