Ashley Cole: Ex-England defender given full-time FA role as a national coach

Ashley Cole has been given a full-time role as a national coach with the Football Association.

The former England left-back has been supporting interim manager Lee Carsley, serving as an assistant with the senior England men’s team.

The 43-year-old Cole, who won 107 caps for England, had been combining the duty with his role as first-team coach at Birmingham City.

The former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back will now solely work across the England men’s player pathway and, in the interim, will continue to support Carsley, the FA said.

Cole joined the FA on a part-time basis in July 2021 to support Carsley with the men’s under-21s, and they helped England win last year’s U21 European Championship in Georgia.

Cole played for the Three Lions from 2001 to 2014, including at five major tournaments, and won three Premier League titles in his career, plus the 2012 Champions League with Chelsea.