A report from the Irish Examiner has revealed today that the FAI has held meetings with former Ireland captain and assistant manager Roy Keane over the vacant Irish manager's job. The organisation has been searching for a new manager since they parted ways with Stephen Kenny in November.
Names like Lee Carsley, Gus Poyet, Damien Duff, and the likes of Keane have all been linked to the role since November, and for many, the search for a new boss has turned into a farce.
This month, Marc Canham, the FAI Director of Football, claimed that the Boys in Green would have a new manager by the end of April, but he added that he could not say anymore because of contractual obligations.
As a temporary solution, John O'Shea has taken charge of the team for the recent friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland and is expected to now step aside for whoever that mystery candidate may be.
Today, the Irish Examiner sensationally claimed that Keane, their former player, has been spoken to three times since Kenny's departure in November.
"It is known Keane was part of the original shortlist prepared by the FAI in the aftermath of Stephen Kenny’s departure last November," said the outlet.
"The Irish Examiner understands that the headhunting team consisting of Hill, Canham, and board member Packie Bonner has held discussions with Keane three times since.
"Hill has in the past stated his preference for an Irish manager being at the helm, a situation Canham later said would be a major plus."
Keane, one of the most well-known former Irish footballers in the UK and Ireland, played over 67 times for his country between 1991 and 2005 and now spends most of his time working for Sky and other media companies as a pundit, so convincing him to come back into management would be some development.
Ironically, Keane has previously admitted that an Ireland return could be an option for him because of the positive experience he had while working as Martin O'Neill's Ireland assistant from 2013 to 2018.
"I'd like to get back into it [management], but I'm not desperate," he said on the Overlap in January.
"I enjoyed international football when I was a coach [with Ireland]. I liked the dynamics of it when I was coaching with Martin O'Neill. We had a little bit of success, which was brilliant and obviously, there were disappointments.
"That could be an option," Keane said to ex-Liverpool defender Carragher.
At the time of writing, Keane is 15/2 to land the Ireland job and is an outside contender compared to Gus Poyet, John O'Shea, and Willy Sagnol.
