Next Ireland boss: Carsley, Coleman and Lennon linked throughout process but could FAI look to interim?

Decision day must be near for the FAI on who they will appoint as the new manager of the Boys in Green.

The Republic of Ireland, who have been without a men's manager since Stephen Kenny's departure, play their first fixtures of 2024 next month when they face Belgium and Switzerland in Dublin's Aviva Stadium.

The three-month process has seen numerous names linked to the job - Lee Carsley, Neil Lennon and most recently Chris Coleman among the suggestions.

According to reports, ex-Celtic boss Lennon and former Wales manager Coleman are now out of the running while it remains unclear where things stand with England under-21 head coach Carsley. 

The FAI have kept this process tight-lipped but it has been no secret that the organisation's favoured candidate has been Carsley since the search started last November. Only last week, former teammate Shay Given claimed that the next Irish boss was "not going to be Lee Carsley" while speaking on RTÉ.

An interim appointment has also been mentioned which would likely see someone like ex-Ireland international John O'Shea, who was part of Kenny's backroom team, take over the reins in a caretaker role. This would be a similar situation to the women's managerial process when Eileen Gleeson was appointed on an interim basis before she was offered the position permanently after an impressive Nations League campaign.

Rumours and reports continue to unfold in this saga but the scene should become clearer in the coming days with the March window fast approaching.