Former Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given believes that his old teammate Lee Carsley would be a "perfect fit" for the vacant Ireland managerial gig.
Several weeks ago, former boss Stephen Kenny was relieved of his duties with the FAI (Football Association of Ireland). The search has now begun for Kenny's replacement, and the FAI has even stated that "they plan to have a new person in place before February."
The likes of Steve Bruce, Chris Hughton, Roy Keane, and others have already been linked to the role.
However, Given believes that current England U21 boss Lee Carsley would be the "perfect option because of his strong connection' with the country". Carsley, born in Birmingham, won 40 caps playing for Ireland during his career. After retiring, Carsley's stock in management has continued to grow since guiding the England Under-21s to a European Championship last summer.
"Hearing the words "head coach," it struck me that, as someone who has been through the system before, the obvious one would be Lee Carsley, who has been through the system with the English FA," said Given.
Very interesting to hear how highly Shay Given speaks on ex teammate Lee Carsley !🇮🇪
Joleon Lescott’s comments on his coaching would fill you with hope if he was to become the next Ireland manager. pic.twitter.com/0AXXyXz8vJ— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) December 13, 2023
"He is the head coach of the England Under-21s and had a brilliant tournament during the summer; they won the tournament.
"I know Lee well from playing with Ireland as well, so he has that strong connection with the country. So, if that is the word that is coming out of the FA, it strikes me that he would be the perfect fit.
"It sounds like they may have had a conversation already with Lee, so when you say head coach and work with all the underage teams and do all this kind of stuff, if you were to put all that into a pot, then Lee Carsley would be the obvious candidate in my opinion."
One of the key aspects of Stephen Kenny's reign was his eagerness to bring younger players through the underage system. Since taking over in 2020, the former League of Ireland boss has given 20 players their senior debuts from the U21 setup. The average age of the Ireland squad now is 25.6 years old, thanks to Kenny.
Given that he believes that Ireland's youthful squad would benefit from Carsley's excellent management, that's if he were to get the job.
"I know Joleon Lescott from my time playing at Manchester City. He was a coach with him [Carsley] at 21, and I said to him, "What does he bring to the party?"
"He said he is unbelievable with the lads; his attention to detail is second to none, and he said that the lads just want to play for him; they want to run through brick walls for him, and that his man management is something he has not seen before.
"So, he brings all that to the party as well. If you listen to people who have worked closely with him and seen what he has done, and he has been successful as well, he ticks a lot of boxes."
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