Shelbourne boss Damien Duff tipped to be the next Ireland manager by Boys in Green legend
Damien Duff led 25/1 outsiders Shelbourne to an incredible League of Ireland Premier Division title triumph.
Damien Duff has been backed to be the next Ireland manager - but not anytime soon.
Boys in Green legend John Aldridge reckons the Shelbourne boss has shown his quality in the dugout by leading the 25/1 outsiders to a stunning title win in the League of Ireland Premier Division this year.
He reckons Duff is “the man” to succeed Heimir Hallgrímsson, but he hopes a fresh appointment is not needed in the foreseeable future.
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Hallgrímsson took on the job during the summer at the end of an eight-month search for Stephen Kenny’s replacement.
Former Liverpool star Aldridge, who scored 19 goals for Ireland, has been hugely impressed by Duff’s exploits since he moved into management.
He told NetBet Sports Betting: “I’m happy for Damien – he needs to keep climbing the ladder and doing the right things.
“Hopefully Ireland will have some success under Heimir Hallgrímsson and we won’t be talking about replacements for a long time, but if Damien wants to eventually become the new national team manager, he’d absolutely be the man.
“You never know how these things work in football but he’s had a really good season with Shelbourne and proved his ability in the domestic leagues, so he could be a good fit in the future.”
Duff took on the Shelbourne job in November 2021, 10 months after he ended a brief spell in Kenny’s Ireland backroom staff.
Having coached in the Shamrock Rovers academy and then at Celtic, he joined Shelbourne’s underage set-up before he was convinced to take the first-team role.
He led Shels to the FAI Cup final in his first season in charge, losing to Derry City in the final, then into Europe last year and now the title.
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