Heimir Hallgrímsson appointed Ireland manager

Heimir Hallgrímsson has been appointed Republic of Ireland manager following an eight-month recruitment process.

Hallgrímsson was Iceland's joint-manager when they famously beat England in Euro 2016.

He was manager of Jamaica in the last two years, departing the nation after exiting the Copa America in the last fortnight.

The task of replacing Kenny, who departed last November, proved a difficult one for the FAI.

John O'Shea took part of two interim spells as boss.

England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley was believed to have been the FAI's initial target but he ruled himself out of the running.

Neil Lennon, Chris Coleman, Chris Hughton and former Greece boss Gus Poyet have all be linked at various times without a conclusion.

Georgia boss Willy Sagnol was also thought to be in the frame, but their progression to Euro 2024 cast doubt on that.

Hallgrímsson has emerged as the shock appointment this afternoon and will take charge of his first game against England in September.

He said: "It is an honour to be appointed today. Ireland is rightly a proud footballing nation which has consistently produced talented players and enjoyed many memorable moments at major international tournaments.

"We have a young and exciting team that has genuine potential. I am looking forward to working closely with the players to help coach and guide them towards improved performances and results ensuring we qualify and compete at major tournaments on a regular basis.

"We have important and exciting games coming up in the UEFA Nations League later this year and a massive FIFA World Cup qualification campaign coming up next year.

"Finally, I am also looking forward to getting to know the people of Ireland and in particular the wonderful fans of Irish football. It