Stephen Kenny: FAI says it has carried out World Cup qualifying review and will feed back to the manager
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Josh Cullen is one of several Republic players to have voiced their support of Kenny in recent weeks
The Football Association of Ireland has said it will provide feedback to manager Stephen Kenny after it carried out a review of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign.
The governing body said it undertook "positive and detailed discussions around a review" at its monthly meeting in Dublin on Monday.
Kenny's current contract will expire in July, with the Republic scheduled to play their four opening Nations League games in June.
The Republic's recent improvement has led to calls for Kenny to be given an immediate long-term contract extension, but there have been voices suggesting the FAI should not rush the decision.
After their opening narrow 3-2 loss in Serbia last March, a disastrous 1-0 home defeat by Luxembourg a couple of days later effectively ended the Republic's qualification hopes.
"The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that board members undertook positive and detailed discussions around a review of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualification tournament in its entirety at its scheduled monthly meeting in Dublin," an FAI statement said.
"CEO Jonathan Hill will now provide feedback to the Republic of Ireland men's senior team management accordingly and will move the process forward. As with all employee matters, this process will remain confidential.
"The FAI will be making no further comment on this matter until it is appropriate."
The home defeat by Luxembourg piled the pressure on Kenny, who at that point had failed to secure his first win as Republic boss in 10 attempts
Clean sheets in last four games
The team's fortunes did improve significantly following a last-gasp 2-1 defeat in Portugal in September with the closing matches including home draws with eventual group winners Serbia and the Portuguese in addition to victories over Azerbaijan and Luxembourg.
The upturn in fortunes has been further demonstrated by the Republic not conceding a goal in their last four matches which included the goalless draw in Dublin against a Portugal side that included Cristiano Ronaldo.
The conclusion of Kenny's current deal is straddled by the Nations League campaign which sees the Irish playing two games in September following the four June matches.
FAI independent chairman Roy Barrett came out in support of Kenny after the Republic's shock defeat by Luxembourg in March.
Former Republic star Packie Bonner is also an influential voice on the board, with him the only of its 12 members to have played at the highest level.
Kenny appears to have strong support from the Republic's players and it remains to be seen whether this will be a strong consideration in the board's thinking.
The Republic manager has awarded senior debuts to 12 players during his reign which began 14 months ago and while the Irish went 13 competitive games under Kenny before clinching a victory, the emergence of several talented youngsters makes many believe that he should be given time to shape the squad in his image.
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