England's new No 2 revealed with Lee Carsley to take charge on interim basis after Gareth Southgate exit

England will face the Republic of Ireland on September 7 before locking horns with Finland three days later.

They will be their the Three Lions' first matches since losing 2-1 to Spain in the final of the European Championships last month.

It's already well known that Carsley will take charge of the team on a temporary basis, having previously managed England at junior level.

And The Sun say Cole is set to work as the 50-year-old's assistant.

Only five players in history played for England more than Cole, who established himself as a Premier League legend during his playing days.

The former Chelsea and Arsenal star made 107 appearances for his country between 2001 and 2014.

JUST IN: Noah Lyles refuses to apologise and admits to deliberately hiding Covid diagnosis from rivals at the Olympics

Sir Bobby Moore, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Peter Shilton are the only men to have more caps.

After retiring from football after a brief spell at Derby in 2019, Cole became a coach with the Rams.

He was named as assistant coach the England Under-21s side back in 2021, working under Carsley.

And Cole had a brief spell at Birmingham last season, with the 43-year-old joining the Blues following the disastrous appointment of Wayne Rooney.

READ MORE: Mike Tyson 'not well enough to train' as boxing fans fume over new Jake Paul fight announcement

The FA are continuing their search for a permanent boss to replace Southgate.

Reports earlier this week claimed Mauricio Pochettino was now the 'leading candidate' to take charge, with the Argentine currently on the market.

Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual consent this summer, despite steering the Blues to sixth in the Premier League table.

However, he's not the only name in the frame to take charge.

LATEST SPORTS NEWS:

• England next manager: Sarina Wiegman's role in hunt revealed following Gareth Southgate exit
• Noah Lyles called 'arrogant' and 'loud' by Olympics rival as comments come back to bite Team USA star
• Emma Raducanu makes 'impatience' confession as tennis star prepares for US Open - 'Biggest downfalls'

The FA admire Eddie Howe, though the 46-year-old has made it clear he's committed to Newcastle.

Graham Potter is under consideration, with the former Chelsea boss keen on a return to management following his departure from Stamford Bridge last year.

Thomas Tuchel is reportedly interested in managing England, having left Bayern Munich earlier this summer.

And Joachim Low, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have all been linked as well.

England toiled in the Nations League under Southgate last term, finishing bottom of their group.

They picked up just three points from a possible 18 from matches with Germany, Italy and Hungary.