Odds slashed on Roy Keane being named as the new Ireland manager

Roy Keane is always mentioned as a contender to be the next Ireland manager and now bookies have slashed their odds on the former Manchester United captain taking over from Stephen Kenny after a rush of bets on the Irish soccer icon.

Even though he has not held a frontline managerial role since he left Ipswich in January 2011, the former Ireland skipper has been backed to replace Kenny and bookies have now installed him as favourite to land the role.

Keane has lucrative broadcast contracts in the UK, but he is believed to have ‘break clauses’ included that allow to make a return to management.

Yet in the opinion of Eamon Dunphy, who wrote Keane’s book that was released following his infamous fall-out with Mick McCarthy that saw him miss the 2002 World Cup, the FAI would be making a mistake to put one of the most controversial figures in Irish sport into the top job in soccer.

"I would say no,” Dunphy told Morning Live as he was asked about Keane becoming Ireland boss.

"Anyone who knows his record in management and fights he’s had with players would say no.

"He had one achievement, he got Sunderland promoted but other than that, even with the Irish team – we lost Declan Rice and that’s a mistake that the [Martin] O’Neill-Keane management team made.

"They should’ve capped him, they had him in the camp, and they didn’t.

"I wouldn’t say Roy Keane. He might be box office for a while but the pressure on international team management would get to him."

Dunphy went on to suggest England under-21 coach and former Ireland midfielder Lee Carsley is the right man for the Ireland job.

“Lee Carsley played 40 times for Ireland, he won the Euro Championships with England last summer," he added.

"I’m told by people who have watched him work that he’s the real deal, he would be my pick."

Former Ireland defender Mark Lawrenson also gave his views on the Keane rumours in an interview with Paddy Power, as he expressed reservation over Carsley’s credentials.

“There is talk of Lee Carsley coming in to take over from Stephen Kenny and he played for the Republic of Ireland in his career, but it’s about the players,” said Lawrenson.

“Stephen Kenny brought a lot of players through and there are now far more players playing in the Premier League now than when he started.

"He put a lot of good things in place and seems like he’s a nice guy, but you can understand why he’s lost his job because the results weren’t good enough.

"I feel that the team will get better, and everyone keeps saying it’s going to be Lee Carsley, but I’m not sure he’ll want to leave the England u21 job, where it’s a much easier job.

“It would be great fun if Roy Keane took the job, but I can’t see it happening. Football is different now and I don’t think he’d want it.

“It would be fantastic if Lee took the job and would be a nice story for a former player to become manager, but the problem would be that if he lost a couple games, people would get on his back about his lack of managerial experience, so for me, it needs to be someone with more experience.”