Former Chelsea and Tottenham man 'favourite' for vacant international job

Fomer Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur star Gus Poyet is the new favourite for the vacant Republic of Ireland job following the departure of Stephen Kenny.

The position is being temporarily filled by interim head coach John O'Shea, who has also captained the Boys in Green as a player. So far, the former Manchester United defender has accumulated one draw and one defeat over the course of two intermnational friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.

Poyet is currently the manager of Greece. However, due to their failure to qualify for the Euros after being defeated on penalties by Georgia in the playoffs, his position is now unclear.

Previously, Poyet has taken the reins at both Brighton and Sunderland - he has also managed the likes of Bordeaux, AEK Athens and Real Betis in the past, to varying degrees of success. As a player, besides Chelsea and Spurs, he turned out for teams such as Grenoble, Real Zaragoza and Swindon Town.

Who else is in the running for the vacant Republic of Ireland job?

Of course, Poyet is far from the only head coach who has been linked with the Republic of Ireland post. Willy Sagnol, the man who led Georgia to victory over Poyet's Greece, is also thought to be one of the names in the running.

Robbie Keane is also in the discussion. Keane is Ireland's all-time top goalscorer on the international stage and is a massive fan-favourite - he is currently the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in the Israeli Premier League.

Roy Keane's name has also been mentioned where the vacant Ireland job is concerned. He has been out of the management game for over ten years now - his last job was at Ipswich Town in the Championship and he was dismissed in 2011. Previously, he also managed Sunderland.