Mo Marley appointed interim head coach of England Women after Mark Sampson dismissal

Marley, a former captain of England and Everton Ladies, will step up from her role in charge of the U19s to oversee the senior side's next three fixtures

Mo Marley has been involved with the England Women set-up since 2001 (Getty)

Mo Marley has been confirmed as the interim head coach of England Women following Mark Sampson’s recent dismissal.

Marley, a former captain of England and Everton Ladies, will step up from her role in charge of the U19s to oversee the senior side’s friendly away to France, followed by two World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kazakhstan.

The former defender said she was confident of achieving “great things” with the senior ladies.

“It is a privilege to be asked to work with the senior team on an interim basis, especially when I have witnessed the dedication both players and staff have shown to become the third best team in the world,” Marley said upon announcement of her appointment.

“Having watched them at close quarters in the past few years, I know they are a fantastic group of people on and off the pitch.

“It will be my job to step in and ensure they stay focused on the World Cup qualification. We know these players are talented and I know they are capable of great things in the future.”

Alongside her role as U19s head coach, which she has held since 2001, Marley managed Everton Ladies between 2002 and 2012 during which time she led the side to victory in the 2010 Women’s FA Cup.

During her playing days she won 42 caps and captained England at the 2001 Euros. She was made an MBE in December 2005 for her services to football on Merseyside.

Marley with England U19s player Leah Williamson during an international friendly against the USA in 2016 (Getty)

Marley takes over from Sampson who was sacked by the Football Association last week for inappropriate relationships with his female players during a previous spell as manager of Bristol Academy.

FA CEO Martin Glenn made the decision after reading a 2015 FA safeguarding report into Sampson concerning his relationships with his players while at Bristol, where he ran the 16 to 19 programme and coached their women’s first team.

The FA safeguarding panel decided in March 2015 that Sampson could continue to work in football, but when Glenn reviewed the report in detail he decided, along with the FA board, that Sampson had “overstepped the professional boundaries between player and coach”.

“It is an issue about the relationship between coach and players,” Glenn said. “We have seen the information and decided the conduct was not what we want from an FA employee.”