Richard Dunne has said that it would be "great" if Mick McCarthy were appointed for a second time as Republic of Ireland manager.

McCarthy's odds for the vacant post have tumbled recently and he is now the joint-favourite alongside Martin O'Neill with the bookies.

In McCarthy's first stint with the nation he led them to the 2002 World Cup where they were knocked out on penalties by Spain in the round of 16.

Asked if the current Ipswich Town boss was a realistic contender, Queens Park Rangers defender Dunne said: "I think so, yes.

"He obviously said he might be interested, maybe, in it and having worked with him before, I really enjoyed it, so if he was the FAI's choice, that would be great.

"I think we have got a good squad and it just needs putting into place, really, the team with a leader we can look to and hopefully someone who can guide us to more tournaments."

Ireland ended their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-1 victory at home to Kazakhstan last night.