Former international Frank Stapleton today claimed he has been approached by Bryan Hamilton regarding the vacant Republic of Ireland manager's job.
Stapleton said he was contacted by Hamilton, recruited by the FAI as an as adviser on the appointment of its new manager, in December and expects to hear shortly whether he has made it through to the interview stage proper.
"I spoke to Bryan three-and-a-half weeks ago," Stapleton told Sky Sports News. "There are lots of candidates, particularly from abroad, and Bryan has a list of people to whittle down to about five before the interviews will start.
"I've spoken to him again and he doesn't think anything will be concluded until the middle of January".
Stapleton, a former Arsenal and Manchester United legend, has limited management experience with only a two-and-a-half year stint at Bradford in the early 1990s on his CV.
More recently, Stapleton - Ireland's second-highest goalscorer behind Niall Quinn - has worked as a TV and radio pundit in Ireland and Britain.