After Stephen Kenny’s departure was confirmed on Wednesday, Manchester United icon Roy Keane has emerged as a leading candidate to replace him as Republic of Ireland’s head coach.
After Ireland failed to qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany, the Football Association of Ireland stated on Wednesday that Kenny’s contract would not be renewed.
Betfair, meanwhile, has Neil Lennon, a former manager of Celtic and a Northern Ireland international who has been unemployed since being fired from Cypriot team Omonia a few months ago, as their current favorite for the job.
However, Keane, the former captain of Ireland, is also a leading candidate because he has stated an interest in returning to management.
Keane has been an assistant coach for the Irish national team under Martin O’Neill as well as a head coach at Sunderland and Ipswich.
But he hasn’t been a major league manager since 2011 and hasn’t even been in the dugout since 2019.
In addition to Keane, former Birmingham manager Steve Bruce, Greece manager Gus Poyet, and former West Brom manager Sam Allardyce are other candidates for the Ireland post.