Carstens says he's a "long shot" to head IMF

Agustin Carstens, governor of the Bank of Mexico, speaks about his nomination by the Mexican government for the position of Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund in Ottawa June 7, 2011.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mexican Central Bank Governor Agustin Carstens on Monday conceded he was a long-shot candidate for IMF managing director, but argued he would bring "a fresh set of eyes" to the debt crisis in Europe.

Carstens, in remarks at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said chances were "quite high" that French finance minister Christine Lagarde would get the job.

Carstens said the combination the 65-year-old tradition of European leadership and the strong feeling in Europe now that they need a European at the head of the fund because of the debt crisis made his candidacy a long shot.

"That makes it more difficult. I'm not fooling myself. It's like starting a soccer game with a 5-0 score," he said.

Carstens and Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer are challenging front-runner Lagarde for the IMF top post following the sudden resignation last month of Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer, Editing by Neil Stempleman)