Roy Keane gives clear verdict as England boss Lee Carsley explains Ireland anthem decision

Lee Carsley has given his explanation on why he will not take part in singing 'God Save The King' ahead of England 's final Nations League fixture against the Republic of Ireland. The current interim manager will take charge of his last game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1.

The Three Lions just need a win to top the group after moving into pole position with a 3-0 win away in Greece on Thursday. Goals from Jack Grealish and Declan Rice secured a 2-0 victory against the Irish, earlier in the campaign, at the Aviva Stadium.

Carsley, who played 40 times for the Republic of Ireland between 1997 and 2008, received backlash from supporters early into his reign for his refusal to sing the national anthem. However, the former midfielder stated that this is something that he has not taken part in as a player or coach.

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"This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland," Carsley said. "The gap between your warm up, you coming on to the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So it's something that I have never done."

The 50-year-old described his first game in charge of England, against Ireland, as a 'real proud moment' and that he had respect for both national anthems. Carsley also admitted that his focus would often be on the game rather than on the pre-match ritual.

He added: "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 into 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 gonna 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."

Among the criticism, the England interim manager received support from former Ireland teammate Roy Keane. The Manchester United legend didn't get all the fuss behind Carsley's decision but did get that the attention, whether good or bad, came with the job.

Speaking on the ITV panel before the reverse fixture, Keane said: "It's a welcome to the reality of becoming manager of England. He's obviously coached a lot at [different] age levels. and has done very well.

"But this is senior level and particularly with England, there is huge pressure and huge demands. I think it is unfair but that is the industry we are in.

"I played with Lee when he played for Ireland and he never sung it then. It was never an issue for anyone else. The focus is to win football matches an hopefully that will take care of everything else."