MATT DOHERTY SAYS the FAI’s search for a new Republic of Ireland manager “looks messy.”

The association has failed to meet its latest, self-imposed deadline of early April to appoint a successor to Stephen Kenny, with director of football Marc Canham indicating last week that the FAI’s new aim is simply to have a permanent manager in place in time for England’s visit to the Aviva Stadium for Ireland’s Nations League opener on 7 September.

And Wolves defender Doherty, who has 43 caps for his country, said at a club press conference that he finds the optics of the FAI’s recruitment process as bewildering as anyone.

“I don’t know what’s going on over there,” said the 32-year-old Dubliner.

“It looks messy. It seems to be taking a while and there doesn’t seem to be any clarity.

“To the neutral eye, really, that it has taken that long…”

With Ireland set to host Hungary and travel to Portugal for June friendlies, Doherty said that he would be comfortable with John O’Shea continuing in the role which he took on an interim basis for March’s friendlies with Belgium and Switzerland.

That is equally the FAI’s stated preference in the immediate short term as their search for a new permanent manager trundles towards the six-month mark.

And Doherty suggested that the association will have missed a trick if Kenny’s eventual long-term successor has to dive straight in at the deep end in September without sufficient time to impart their ideas in less significant games.

“If it is John then it will be pretty good,” Doherty said.

“Really they needed someone for the summer so they can implement what they want to do before the games start getting competitive.”