Martin O’Neill reckons the FAI won’t have far to go to find the next Republic of Ireland manager.
While O’Neill and assistant manager Roy Keane have agreed in principle to contract extensions, talk of the Derry man’s successor is inevitably going to be rife.
O’Neill, 64, has revealed that he’s shaken hands on a deal to bring his contract with the Republic up to the end of Ireland’s 2018 World Cup campaign, and, despite not yet putting pen to paper, he’s confident that he and Keane will remain in charge regardless of Ireland’s performance at Euro 2016.
“It’s a done deal and hopefully we’ll still be here in another two years,” O’Neill said.
Keane has been in the headlines in recent weeks for his criticism of some members of the current squad but O’Neill has thrown his backing behind his assistant to follow him as Ireland boss.
“He has indicated he is in it for the long haul,” O’Neill said of Keane. “I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t follow me as manager. Genuinely, I don’t see why that would be a problem for him.”
