'It's about time' - Keith Treacy enthused by Brian Kerr's return to fold as part of John O'Shea's interim management team

Keith Treacy believes it was high time for the FAI to bring Brian Kerr back into the fold at the top level of Irish football and would like to see the former Republic of Ireland manager's temporary role in John O'Shea's interim management team extended into a longer-term proposition.

With Stephen Kenny's permanent successor to be announced in early April according to the FAI's director of football Marc Canham, ex-Ireland and Manchester United defender O'Shea will take charge of the Boys in Green for the friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland on 23 and 26 March respectively.

O'Shea's management team for that brief stint was confirmed last Friday with his former international team-mate Glenn Whelan, Crystal Palace first-team coach Paddy McCarthy and ex-Ireland boss Kerr among the staff for the two games.

Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, ex-Ireland winger Treacy spoke highly of his former colleague O'Shea as well as the credentials of the coaches that will be working alongside the Waterford man.

And in the case of Kerr, who will serve as a technical advisor, Treacy feels Irish football has lost out massively by not having the former St Patrick's Athletic and Faroe Islands boss involved at the coalface in recent years.

"Everybody is saying to me the FAI initiated the talks with Brian Kerr, isn't it brilliant and the FAI deserve a pat on the back - they do but this is more 'it's about time' rather than well done," he said.

"Brian should never have been out of Irish football or out of the FAI for that long. He shouldn't have been. His knowledge, his wealth of experience should have always had him in the door and the fact that he hasn't been was a real negative.

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