John O바카라�Shea Could Stay As Interim Ireland Boss As Permanent Appointment Delayed

John O바카라�Shea could remain interim Republic of Ireland manager after the Football Association of Ireland revealed Stephen Kenny바카라�s permanent successor may not be in place until September. (More Football News)

The 42-year-old former Manchester United and Ireland defender took charge of March바카라�s friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland as officials continued their search for a replacement for Kenny, who lost his job in November.

However, director of football Marc Canham, who said last month the new manager would be announced 바카라�in early April바카라�, confirmed on Friday the recruitment process was ongoing and could be for some time yet.

Canham told FAI TV: 바카라�Realistically we바카라�re looking now towards the UEFA Nations League with our first game against England in September and that바카라�s what we바카라�re aiming to do.

바카라�We recognise that the timelines and deadlines that we바카라�ve previously set have created a sense of expectation and potentially confusion for everyone.

바카라�In hindsight, we would maybe not set those deadlines if we were to do this again and absolutely just commit to trying to find the best person and take as long as that should take, and that바카라�s our aim.

바카라�We recognise and apologise for that, but we바카라�re also confident that ultimately we believe this process will result in us finding the best person for the job.바카라�

Canham revealed talks with O바카라�Shea, who has indicated he would like to be considered as a candidate for the permanent role, over an extension to his interim spell to cover June바카라�s friendlies against Hungary and Portugal were under way.

He said: 바카라�In the two June friendlies, the expectation now is that we will have an interim head coach whilst we continue the search for a permanent head coach for September. We would like that to be John O바카라�Shea.

바카라�We were very pleased with what he did in the March friendlies and we바카라�re talking to him at the moment. We바카라�re hoping to be able to confirm that as soon as possible.바카라�

England Under-21s coach Lee Carsley, who was the FAI바카라�s preferred candidate, has ruled himself out of the race, while Neil Lennon has been told he will not be getting the job and Gus Poyet, Chris Coleman and Chris Hughton have all be touted for the post.

However despite discussions between the association and a series of candidates, an appointment is yet to be made and Canham, who along with president Paul Cooke, interim chief executive David Courell and board member Packie Bonner has been handed the task of identifying the new manager, acknowledged mounting frustration among fans.

He said: 바카라�We have many great memories of our men바카라�s national team competing at major tournaments and that바카라�s what we want in the future and that바카라�s why we are taking our absolute time and doing our very best and are determined to find the best person to help make sure we have future memories of that, of qualifying for major tournaments.바카라�