Next Republic of Ireland manager: Lee Carsley, Neil Lennon, Roy Keane - who could replace Stephen Kenny as boss?

The FAI has begun its search for Kenny's replacement after deciding not to offer him a new contract

The Republic of Ireland need a new manager after Stephen Kenny's exit was confirmed by the Football Association of Ireland on Wednesday evening.

Kenny leaves following a three-and-a-half-year spell in which he failed to qualify for a major tournament.

With friendly games to be played in March, the FAI has begun its search for the Dubliner's replacement.

Here, BBC Sport NI looks at some of the potential candidates to replace Kenny in the Aviva Stadium dugout.

Neil Lennon

The former Northern Ireland captain has been out of work for over a year after being sacked by Cypriot side Omonia.

Lennon, 52, has over a decade of managerial experience, winning 10 trophies across two spells at Celtic, as well as the Scottish Championship with Hibernian, and the Cypriot Cup.

The ex-midfielder also had a successful playing career, winning 11 trophies with Celtic and two League Cups under Martin O'Neill - one of Kenny's Republic predecessors - at Leicester City, who also coached him at Parkhead.

Lennon was previously linked to the Republic job following O'Neill's exit in 2018. At that time, however, he was happy at Hibs. But given that he is available now, a first crack at international management may prove tempting.

Lee Carsley

Carsley's stock has risen after leading England's U21s to European glory

Carsley's name has been on many lips regarding the Republic job, and it's not hard to see why.

The Birmingham-born 49-year-old won 40 caps for the Republic between 1997 and 2008 and played at the 2002 World Cup, while his managerial star has been on the rise after leading England to the Euro Under-21 title earlier this year.

While being tasked with leading the Irish to 2026 World Cup qualification would represent a significant step-up for the former Everton midfielder, he has already proven he can get the most out of a young squad.

With that in mind, he may be the best option to further develop the youthful squad Kenny assembled.

The Football Association may resist an approach from their Irish counterparts, but it could be that Carsley views the Republic job as the next step in his coaching journey.

Chris Hughton

Another former Republic international, Hughton boasts a similar level of experience to Lennon having taken in spells at Newcastle United, Birmingham City, Norwich City, Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

Hughton, under whom Newcastle and Brighton earned promotion to the Premier League in 2010 and 2017 respectively, is currently in charge of Ghana, where he is under contract until the end of 2024.

However, with Ghana set to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations in January, prising Hughton away from the Black Stars may prove difficult.

Like Lennon, Hughton was touted as a potential replacement for O'Neill in 2018 but ruled himself out of the running as he was still with Brighton.

Gus Poyet

Poyet has already declared his interest in becoming Kenny's successor

The Uruguayan helped seal Kenny's fate by leading Greece to home and away wins over the Republic in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Curiously, Poyet has inserted himself into the conversation by twice declaring his interest in the Republic job.

The 56-year-old has claimed that his time with Greece will come to an end after the Euro 2024 play-off in March, even if he guides them to the finals.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder's managerial career has taken him all over the world, from Brighton to Betis and Bordeaux, Shanghai to Santiago.

Poyet has had his share of short spells in some jobs, though. He didn't last a year at AEK Athens, Real Betis, Shanghai Shenhua, Bordeaux or Universidad Catolica, and that would surely be a consideration for the FAI.

Roy Keane

It would be hard not to mention arguably the Republic's greatest ever player, who is keen for a return to management.

The legendary former Manchester United and Republic captain, who won 67 caps for his country, was O'Neill's assistant between 2013 and 2018 and would undoubtedly relish the chance to lead the national team into a World Cup qualifying campaign.

The key issue surrounding Keane, of course, is his time away from management. It has been nearly 13 years since he left Ipswich, having previously led Sunderland to Premier League promotion.

The 52-year-old, who has established himself in punditry in recent years, would almost certainly back himself to get up to speed after such a long time away from management, but it is unclear if the FAI would see it the same way.

And the rest...

Jim Crawford stepped into the Under-21 role after Kenny's promotion to the senior side and has impressed, coming agonisingly close to reaching the European Championship, losing the play-off on penalties to Israel.

It would be a significant step-up for the former Newcastle midfielder, though, while he may want to finish the job he has started with his youngsters on course to qualify for the 2025 Euro Under-21 Championship.

Kenny was ultimately chosen on the back of his impressive body of League of Ireland work, and were the FAI to revisit the Irish domestic game, Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley is the outstanding candidate having led the Hoops to four successive league titles.

Also working in the League of Ireland is Republic legend Damien Duff, who spent nine months as Kenny's assistant between April 2020 and January 2021. Adored by fans, it may be too soon for the former Chelsea winger, though, given that he is only two years into his reign at Shelbourne.