Roy Keane among favourites to become Republic of Ireland coach after Stephen Kenny’s departure confirmed

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Roy Keane among favourites to become Republic of Ireland coach after Stephen Kenny’s departure confirmed

Manchester United legend, Roy Keane is among the favourites to become the Republic of Ireland’s next head coach after Stephen Kenny’s exit was confirmed on Wednesday.

The Football Association of Ireland had announced on Wednesday that Kenny’s contract would not be renewed after the country’s failure to qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany.

However, according to Betfair, former Celtic manager and Northern Ireland international Neil Lennon is currently the bookies favourite for the job having been out of work since getting sacked by Cypriot side Omonia some months ago.

But Keane, a former Ireland captain, is also considered a frontrunner having expressed a desire to return to management one day.

Keane has in the past coached Sunderland and Ipswich and served as assistant coach for his country under Martin O’Neill.

However, he has not held a top job since 2011 or been in the dugout at all since 2019.

Apart from Keane, others in the running for the Ireland job include England U21 boss Lee Carsley, former Birmingham boss Steve Bruce, Greece boss Gus Poyet and former West Brom manager Sam Allardyce.