LEE CARSLEY HAS officially ruled himself out of the running to be the next Ireland boss.
Carsley is thought to have been the FAI’s first choice for the role as Stephen Kenny’s successor, and speculation linking him with the role persisted for months. The FAI have yet to fill the role on a permanent basis, but say an announcement will be made in early April. It is not being made earlier owing to contractual commitments.
The 42 reported last month that Carsley was not the FAI’s identified candidate, and he has now confirmed so himself.
Speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of England U21s Euro qualifier against Azerbaijan, Carsley revealed he met the FAI in November and spoke for about an hour, but the matter did not progress any further.
“We had an initial conversation in November,’ Carsley told Mail Sport. ‘I went to speak to them. Really informal, enjoyable, for around an hour. It went no further.
“It was good to see what their thoughts were and to explore whether I was ready to take that next step. It just went no further. I didn’t push it.
‘I’ve always said that I’m really privileged to do this job I’m in. I appreciate that I’m in a really good position with a lot of responsibility.’
“There was a feeling that I would go and do a senior job after the summer but speaking to [FA Technical Director] John McDermott and other people, I’m committed to this campaign.
“At some point, maybe it’s something I’ll do. I didn’t need convincing. I see myself as a development coach. I’ve not put myself out there, applying for jobs or anything.”
John O’Shea is in interim charge for this week’s friendly matches against Belgium and Switzerland, but the FAI have ruled him out of contention for the permanent role.
