Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann believes that Roy Keane should be the next Republic of Ireland manager.
The current manager of the Ireland team, Stephen Kenny, is likely to be out of the job by the time 2024 begins.
Ireland plays against the Netherlands and New Zealand in this international window, and with that, the curtain will come down on Kenny's tenure with the Irish national team.
A host of names have already been linked to the role, including England U21 manager Lee Carsley, Shelbourne boss Damien Duff, and many others. Another obvious name that has appeared in gossip columns and websites is former Manchester and Ireland captain Roy Keane.
Hamann believes the Cork native Keane would be an excellent choice to replace Kenny because of the commercial aspect associated with having Keane in the role.
Hamann doesn't think Keane will take the role, but if it were up to him, he'd hire Keane as the first choice.
Stephen Kenny the current Ireland boss (Getty Images)"Roy Keane would be my first choice for the Ireland job!" he said. "The national side doesn't have a sponsor for the senior team yet, and Roy would give them five or ten sponsors straight away! I'm not saying that's the only reason they should consider Roy because we all know he can manage at the highest level.
"He's a very well-respected man on and off the pitch. I'm not sure if he'll take the job, but people tell me he may. He'd be the first one I'd speak to. He'd be my choice."
Ireland's next games against the Netherlands and New Zealand are essentially dead rubbers. It's what comes after for Ireland that will interest people. The next Ireland boss must be chosen wisely, admits Hamann.
"Ireland has a few players in the Premier League, and a lot of them play in the Championship," he added. "It's a good standard, and they have two outstanding goalkeepers along with Evan Ferguson and others.
"I don't know who they go after, but I just hope they make a wise decision. When I said, 'rock bottom,' I meant how they had 40,000 against Greece, and thousands left before the final whistle, while the remaining fans couldn't be bothered to boo the side!
"I hope the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) don't take the fans for granted as they turned up every time Ireland played at home. Most of the time, they left disappointed. The fans deserve better."
Ireland's game against the Netherlands starts at 19:45 later this evening.
Hamann was speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest Euro 2024 odds
See More: Euro 2024, Roy Keane
