Neil Lennon is the bookies favourite to replace Stephen Kenny - but the Ireland boss insists he is still fully focussed on the job in hand.

Kenny succeeded Mick McCarthy in April last year and from the off signalled his intention to build a side which played attacking football and formed in part from the talent with which he had worked as under-21s boss.

Seventeen months on, Ireland find themselves all but mathematically out of the race for World Cup qualification ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Group A leaders Serbia in Dublin and with the manager under intense scrutiny.

The criticism has been fierce and there have been suggestions in some quarters that Kenny will be out of a job should his side lose to Serbia. But he refuses to be distracted from his mission.

He said: “That is irrelevant to me, it’s part of international management, it comes with the territory. It is not something that I am concerned about.”

Asked if he had been given any assurances by the Football Association of Ireland, Kenny replied: “Well, I’ve been given no assurances in that regard.

“I’ve taken the decisions I’ve taken regardless of the impact on myself here. I’ve not been given any assurances, I’ve just been given full support by the FAI behind the scenes. They’ve been brilliant.

“I’ve done it because we have a very exciting squad emerging.”