Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ruled out of the running for Ireland job
There could yet be a final twist as the FAI managerial conclusion beckons next week.
John O’Shea’s name continues to be linked with the vacancy but it’s thought he’ll only have his status upgraded from interim to permanent manager if there’s a late hitch with the favoured candidate.
O’Shea will be in Lansdowne Road on Tuesday but that’s for a prearranged promotional event in his role as Uefa ambassador for the Europa League final being at the venue on May 22.
His former Manchester United teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also won’t be filling the vacancy despite him leaping from nowhere into the favourite’s berth according to some bookmakers.
Like some previous names, it was a fleeting elevation, for while he revealed talks were held with the FAI headhunters in January, the Norwegian won’t be the wheel for Ireland’s schedule, which entails two June friendlies against Hungary and Portugal before the Nations League commences in September.
Although his odds on being the permanent successor to Stephen Kenny plummeted from 80/1 to 3/10 on Friday morning, Andy Mitten - writer for the Athletic and editor of Manchester United fanzine 'United We Stand' - confirmed that Solskjaer had spoken to the FAI back in January but decided that the opportunity wasn't right for him.
Mitten posted: "Keep getting asked about the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Ireland job story. Spoke to him. He has no idea where it came from.
"He has complete respect for the country and did speak briefly about the job in Jan but decided it wouldn't be right for him."
The existing contractual obligations which prevented the FAI from naming the boss in March no longer applies in the case of Gus Poyet.
Georgia boss Willy Sagnol, whose side beat Poyet’s Greece in the
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