With the Ireland manager's job now officially available, it is likely that we will see a few familiar names express their interest in the position moving forward.The list of potential candidates for the position has proven to be a a largely mixed bag, with the likes of Lee Carsley, Neil Lennon, and Steve Bruce thought to be the frontrunners as things stand.
While Carsley's intentions remain unclear, we are starting to get a better idea of what those other names are thinking as things stand.
Steve Bruce has already admitted that he would be interested in the role, with Neil Lennon also throwing his hat into the ring this afternoon.
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Neil Lennon says managing Ireland would be a dream
Neil Lennon has been out of work for a year now since leaving Cypriot club Omonia Nicosia. While he has been linked with a number of positions since then, he had not previously publicly spoken about his plans moving forward.
That has now changed.
Speaking on Premier Sports this afternoon, Neil Lennon admitted his interest in the Ireland job and said that managing the country has always been an 'ambition' of his.
It is Ireland, and it means so much to me as a person. If the opportunity came along, I would love to have the conversation. It's an opportunity that doesn't come around too often.
I have achieved a lot in my career in terms of my ambitions - playing for Celtic, managing Celtic…managing Ireland would be another ambition of mine.
There will be a plethora of candidates, and there will be a process to go through. But I’d love to have a chat or a crack at it.
Neil Lennon throws his hat in the ring @PremSportsIRL (1/2) pic.twitter.com/ysaRYZzfxR
— Eoin McDevitt (@EoinMcDevitt) November 25, 2023
In a move to perhaps boost his prospects of being considered for the gig, he also bigged up the quality of the current Irish squad and said he felt they would only improve moving forward.
When asked if he believed the Irish squad was good enough to qualify for major tournaments, Lennon said:
I do. Look at Scotland, for example. Everything’s cyclical, for me. Scotland have a really good bunch of players, all Premier League. The more players that are playing at a higher level for Ireland, the better chance Ireland will have of qualifying.
It doesn’t necessarily mean they have to play every week, but to be playing at a high level. Some of the players now need to take responsibility of their club careers and make sure they’re ready for the international games, because it is different.
There is certainly some good talent and, from what I gather, at U21 and U19 level there’s good players coming through as well.
This was a clear message from Neil Lennon that he will answer the call from the FAI should it arrive.
It remains to be seen what direction they will go in over the coming weeks.
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