O’Shea to continue as interim Irish manager

JOHN O’Shea credentials as the next permanent manager of the Republic of Ireland will come under greater FAI scrutiny after he extended his contract as interim boss.

Dismissed as a candidate to succeed Stephen Kenny last month by Marc Canham, the director of football, O’Shea is very much in the frame after answering the FAI’s SOS for a second time.

Ahead of the friendlies at home to Hungary on June 4 and away to Portugal on June 11, O’Shea (below) has an opportunity to assess the form and fitness of his players in the final weeks of the EFL and Premier League seasons.

O’Shea will be at Goodison Park today for Everton versus Brentford, where he will check on the fitness of Ireland captain Séamus Coleman.

A strong window in June would put the Waterford native in a strong position to earn the FAI’s trust with a full-time deal to cover the 2024 Nations League, 2026 World Cup and Euro 2028 campaigns.

The FAI’s difficulty in pinning down a successor to Kenny has provided O’Shea with an opportunity to stake a serious claim for a job be covets.

While club managers will become available in the coming weeks as seasons wind down, as well as international managers after the Euro finals — Georgia’s Willy Sagnol remains a person of interest for the FAI — O’Shea holds the high ground.

A win over Hungary and a spirited showing against Portugal in Aveiro would strengthen O’Shea’s hand.

‘I was really happy with what I saw from the players in both matches in March and we’ll be looking to build on some of those positives in June,’ he said.

O’Shea, who turns 43 on Tuesday, has confirmed that Paddy McCarthy, Glenn Whelan, and Rene Gilmartin will return with him as senor figures in his coaching staff. But Brian Kerr, the former Irish manager, will not be back as technical advisor due to commitments already in place.

Canham reiterated ‘the process to appoint a new head coach for our senior men’s team will be concluded ahead of start of the UEFA Nations League’.