Interim boss Lee Carsley signed off in style as England capitalised on Liam Scales’ sending off in a 5-0 thrashing of the Republic of Ireland that sealed promotion back to the Nations League top tier.

The 17th and final fixture of a year that saw the national team reach another European Championship final marked the end of the Under-21s coach’s six-game stint as Gareth Southgate’s stand-in.

Thomas Tuchel begins his quest to win the 2026 World Cup in the new year and takes over on the back of Nations League elevation after Carsley oversaw a comfortable win against the country he represented as a player.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Ireland had started well and frustrated England in the first half, only to spiral after Scales received his second yellow card for bringing down Jude Bellingham in the box shortly after half-time.

Captain Harry Kane, back in the starting line-up, struck home the resulting penalty, with Anthony Gordon then lashing in and Conor Gallagher scoring from close range just as Group B2 rivals Greece took the lead in Finland.

Substitute Jarrod Bowen netted with his first touch and fellow introduction Taylor Harwood-Bellis completed a dream debut by heading in to wrap up a win that saw Carsley’s men top the pool.

Greece finished level on 15 points but England’s 3-0 win in Athens on Thursday meant they boasted a superior head-to-head record.

Manchester United’s appointment of Ruben Amorim means the current crop of players will be presented with a clean slate to impress and make their mark.

After 11 games, United lurk 13th in the Premier League standings after losing the same amount of times they have won (four). Amorim’s appointment to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag halfway through the season means that the Portuguese must work with what he has got at his disposal, for now.

Much has been made of United and internal problems which seem to continually create issues for their managers. However, if Amorim is to steady the ship and make United great again, he has to get this team firing and – in order to do that – he has to get the best from Marcus Rashford.

The 27-year-old’s long-term issues with form have been well documented in the last 18 months. After scoring 30 goals in 56 games in the 2022/23 season, Rashford has struggled. He managed just eight goals and six assists last term, but has shown signs of bettering that record already this season with four goals and three assists.

One of Amorim’s biggest tasks at Old Trafford will be to get Rashford back to his best. After yet again missing out on a place in the latest England squad, the forward has been in the United States – to watch the NBA in New York.

However, in a wordless post on social media, Rashford has sent a message of confirmation of his hard work and dedication to impress Amorim when first-team training resumes next week.

The United head coach and his team will return to Carrington on Monday to kick-start their preparations for the Premier League clash with Ipswich Town – after being allowed some time off.

United play another 11 times before the end of 2024, a period of games that could be crucial in how their 2024/25 season plays out. If Rashford can find the form of before, Amorim’s start to life in Manchester could go better than expected, and he’s putting in the hard yards to do so.

Manchester Evening

Cyriel Dessers believes Rangers’ 1-1 Europa League draw against Olympiacos on Thursday should give them strength for Sunday’s visit of Hearts.

The Nigeria striker passed up a couple of chances to take the lead before the interval in the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium before the Greek side, current Conference League champions, opened the scoring in the 56th minute through Moroccan forward Ayoub El Kaabi.

However, Dessers levelled eight minutes later with a composed finish to move Philippe Clement’s side on to seven points, with the chance to qualify for the knockout stages still alive as they turn their attention to the William Hill Premiership game against the Jambos at Ibrox.

Dessers said: “It is a really good feeling and that should give us strength as well for the game on Sunday first and foremost, but also for the next games in the Europa League and in the league.

“We have got some big months coming up and we are all excited, we cannot wait for these games.

“I think it was a decent result. If you look at our performance as a team, I think we can be happy about that.

“Olympiacos is a very good team, a lot of quality. It was a special atmosphere, so not easy to go there and take a point so I think we can be happy with that.”

Dessers revealed his positive mentality when assessing the chances he missed before he got the crucial leveller, taking a Vaclav Cerny pass and finishing with confidence.

He said: “This is life as a striker. I was watching the Champions League this week, and I see unbelievable strikers miss chances.

“So who am I, as Cyriel Dessers, not to miss chances? Obviously, you’re always going to miss more than you score.

“That’s the life of a striker. You know that there will always be a perception about that, but that’s life.

“If I would score three chances every game then I will probably not be at Rangers either.

“You just have to keep going, never give up as a team, as an individual, and you just need to be ready for the next one. And then that’s what I did on Thursday and that’s what we did as a team as well.

“Even after the setback, we came back, and we can be very proud with our performance here

“I’m very happy with my performance. I think I played a good game. I gave the two centre-backs a lot of difficulties.

“Obviously, you want to score one of the first two chances. On the first one, the finish could have been better. The second one, I think I do well. I think the goalkeeper makes a good save.

“You need to stay in the game. Need to stay focused and hopefully make the next one and that’s what I did. So I’m happy with that.”