Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sensationally become the bookies' favourite to land the vacant Republic of Ireland job left by Stephen Kenny.
Solskjaer, 51, has not been in management since being sacked from his former club Manchester United in November 2021, but today, some bookies have him as the leading candidate to lead the Boys in Green.
Earlier today, the former United player saw his odds shorten from 80/1 to 3/10.
On the website Oddschecker, a site that displays odds for several bookmakers, the Norwegian is 1/3 with Boylesports, while the likes of Betfair have him at 8/15 to become the next Ireland boss.
In March, FAI director of football Marc Canham said, "It’s at a really advanced stage. The announcement will be in early April. We need to make sure we give as much respect as possible to all the candidates that have been involved in the process." However, he also added that "existing contractual arrangements" precluded the FAI from confirming their new manager until April.
The FAI's comments come six months after former Ireland boss Stephen Kenny was ousted from his role with Ireland, and this news is certainly interesting.
Since then, many managers have been linked to the Ireland job. They include Lee Carsley, Anthony Barry, Roy Keane, Willy Sagnol, and John O'Shea Roy Keane, Neil Lennon, Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Chris Hughton, Chris Coleman, Sam Allardyce, and many others.
Oddschecker screenshot showing Ireland's next manager's oddsBecause of the gossip and the constant speculation around each candidate, there is very little concrete evidence of who the next Irish boss will be. However, the potential appointment of Solskjaer has come out of nowhere, and for many, it would be seen as a very out-of-place appointment that nobody really predicted.
The Solskjaer news comes weeks after he claimed he'd like to get back into management. The United legend claimed he'd love to get back into club football, but who knows? Maybe bosses at the FAI have convinced him that Abbotstown is the place to be.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Solskjaer said, "I’ve got at least one club job in me. It has to be an interesting one, somewhere, an adventure, somewhere I can be myself.
"No disrespect but after you’ve managed Manchester United for three years, it’s like, where do you go? I want to feel that pressure again. When you see the games, you miss it."
He continued: "You always want to manage against the best football players in the world. The Premier League is the best league in the world and the most difficult. I had been there for three years.
"Yes, it was a hard job. It’s an extraordinary job, but you’re the face of the biggest and best club in the world. You have to be ready all the time to be scrutinised. So, I enjoyed it but I needed a break after I stepped away."
Let's wait and see what happens.
Odds are subject to change.
