Eamon Dunphy has made his views very clear as to who he think the next Ireland manager should be.
It's nearly three months now since it was announced that Stephen Kenny's contract wouldn't be renewed and the FAI is still yet to appoint a successor.
The Aviva Stadium is set to host two friendlies next month as Ireland host Belgium and Switzerland but as of yet it remains a mystery as to who will be managing the Boys in Green for those games.
Names linked to fill the top post include Roy Keane, Lee Carsley and Chris Hughton.
The Irish Independent reported on Wednesday that the FAI remain "confident" Carsley will replace Kenny.
FAI officials confident they can get deal done for Carsley
Despite the consistent negative noises on it from the English side, lines of contact have remained open and understand there have been quite detailed talks on backroom, contract etc
Story here
https://t.co/wzZ5MvXhZp— Daniel McDonnell (@McDonnellDan) January 31, 2024
However, there have been conflicting reports about the 49-year-old's interest in the job with sources close to the English FA adamant that their U21 manager is going absolutely nowhere.
Keane, who previously served as Assistant Manager during the Martin O'Neill era, expressed his interest in the job last month but as of yet there is no reported contact between himself and the FAI.
Eamon Dunphy gives interesting Neil Lennon take
Eamon Dunphy believes that Neil Lennon is the man for the job should Carsley not take it.
Last week the FAI met with Lennon to ensure him that no deal had been done with Carsley and it is believed that the 52-year-old is still extremely interested.
Writing in the Irish Daily Star yesterday Dunphy said that the former Celtic manager would be a "decent choice" to replace Kenny if Carsley "doesn't come on board."
"His success at Celtic wasn’t just about the trophies. Lennon had an eye for a player, and improved a lot of them greatly. John Park was head of Player Development at Parkhead and some give him credit for the signing of Virgil van Dijk for just €3m," Dunphy wrote.
"But Park himself said that Lennon was the main reason the Dutchman arrived, and why he improved so rapidly.
"Lennon is experienced, has serious knowledge and character, and should be a frontrunner."
Back in November, Lennon was one of the first to throw his hat into the ring for the vacant position when he declared his interest on Premier Sports.
"I think it's a fabulous job to start with it. I've achieved a lot in my career in terms of my ambition and in terms of playing with Celtic," he said.
"Managing Ireland would be another ambition of mine but there'll be a plethora of candidates and process to go through. I'd love to have a crack at it."
Whether he gets that chance will hopefully be determined very soon.
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