The FA confirmed on Friday that Carsley will take charge of England’s two September matches.

Pep Guardiola appeared to downplay the chances of him becoming the next England manager on Friday, and spoke about his renewed motivation at Manchester City, following the news of Lee Carsley’s appointment as interim boss.

The FA have confirmed that the former Everton midfielder will take charge of England’s fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in September but added he could remain stay in that role ‘throughout autumn while the FA’s recruitment process for a new permanent head coach continues’.

Reports earlier this summer had suggested the FA could consider hiring an interim boss for a year if Guardiola is available to be appointed on a permanent basis in the summer of 2025 when his contract at the Etihad expires.

The City boss admitted at the end of last season that he was struggling for motivation, but said ahead of the Saturday’s Community Shield - and the start of the new season - that he is feeling refreshed.

Asked on Friday what would need to happen for Guardiola to become England manager, he replied: “I have to decide what I want to do in my life. If I want to continue here, take a break, train national teams or not - many things.

“Right now I am here and as you arrive at the competitions my energy rises again, so I am fully excited for the season because I see things that I like. We will see, it’s a new challenge if we are able to break our own records.

“Last season we broke the record [of four consecutive titles] and never has it been done before. We will see what is the ambition of ourselves. I'm looking forward to us all coming back together and restart and we see how we will behave every day.”