Stephen Bradley in 'no rush' to fulfil Ireland ambition

Shamrock Rovers head coach Stephen Bradley has revealed that while managing Ireland is an ambition of his, he is in no rush for that dream to be realised.

Following the departure of Stephen Kenny as Ireland boss, calls for another League of Ireland alumnus to take on the role have been few and far between, with Lee Carsley and Neil Lennon being the names most heavily linked with the job.

Speaking with RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue ahead of the 2024 League of Ireland season, Bradley outlined his ambition to manage at the highest level but feels that he is still in the learning phase of his career.

"I want to manage at the highest level possible," said the 39-year-old. "I’ve made no secret of that and that’s my ambition but I always say to players don’t be in a rush to get somewhere, learn, be better and when the right opportunity comes you’re in a much better position and you’re ready for it.

"Right now, my job is to keep improving this group, keep improving myself and in time we’ll see what will be for me."

Bradley enters the new season hoping to lift an unprecedented fifth league title in a row but as Kenny found out, winning multiple domestic trophies is no guarantee of success when the Ireland job comes along.

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There are many supporters of the international team who would be wary of going down the League of Ireland route again, but Bradley feels that this is not an opinion that is held within football circles.

"I think with Stephen it was small margins and people outside