Brian Kerr pours cold water on Lee Carsley Ireland appointment

Brian Kerr will be on scouting duty at QPR vs West Brom on Wednesday evening. 

OLD ACQUAINTANCES: Brian Kerr and Lee Carsley. Picture: ©INPHO/Andrew Paton

Brian Kerr says he would be "surprised" if Lee Carsley is "back in the frame" to become the next Ireland manager. 

On Monday, FAI director of football Marc Canham said the Association will announce their new boss in early April. “Existing contractual obligations" are the obstacle preventing the new manager's identity from being revealed. 

Signs pointed towards Lee Carsley, currently over the England U21s, being the individual. However, Brian Kerr, who has been appointed technical advisor to interim manager John O'Shea, poured cold water on that possibility.

"Lee played when I was manager and I would have been in touch with Lee a bit," Kerr told RTÉ Radio 1's The Ray D'Arcy Show.

"Unfortunately, I don't think he's back in the picture. I could be wrong. Marc Canham, Jonathan Hill and Packie Bonner have been doing the work on this and have kept things very close to themselves. 

"I haven't asked what's happening but they seem very assured that they have their man and that he will be available come April. There's a couple of friendly games then in June, Hungary and Portugal. He'll be in place by then. 

"I'm as intrigued as everyone else. I'm in this vein now, one of John's men and I'll do whatever I've got to do to help him, Glenn (Whelan), Paddy McCarthy, and the rest of the lads get a result in these games."

Ireland play Belgium and Switzerland in friendlies at the Aviva Stadium on March 23rd and 26th, respectively. Kerr, who was speaking from Dublin Airport en route to watch QPR play West Brom in the English Championship tonight, is acting as a scout in O'Shea's backroom team. 

"I was on a job on Sunday," he said.

"I was at Manchester City vs Manchester United. There was a couple of lads who play for Belgium playing for Manchester City. I was watching them. I've been busy the last few days. This is my first match in terms of how the Irish players are doing."

Kerr mentioned Jayson Molumby, Mikey Johnston, Sinclair Armstrong and Jimmy Dunne as those he will be watching tonight. He also added that there are "one or two others on the fringes of it who are eligible for Ireland too."

Joe Hodge, the Ireland U21 captain, is on loan at QPR from Wolves while Jake Clarke-Salter, a former England U21 captain, declared his eligibility for Ireland two years ago.