Off The Ball has learned that the Mick McCarthy's latest reign as Republic of Ireland manager is over and that Stephen Kenny will take over this summer.

A formal announcement is expected to follow in the next 24 hours thanking McCarthy for his second stint in charge but confirming that Stephen Kenny is now the Republic of Ireland manager.

It’s understood that McCarthy and Terry Connor were informed today of the decision to honour the terms of Kenny’s contract which would see him take charge on the August 1st of this year.

When UEFA announced that Ireland’s Euro 2020 qualifier semi-final play-off with Slovakia in Bratislava was being postponed to September at the earliest, it left the FAI in a difficult position and also forced their hand on the timing of their decision.

Initially, with the play-off games rescheduled for later in the summer but before August, the FAI could have delayed making any decision until results dictated a course of action.

Had McCarthy won a play-off it would have been very hard to appoint Kenny and had he lost it was all moot.

This week’s announcement changed the dynamic and resulted in some urgency around the decision. Today the FAI have moved swiftly and are expected to soon make an official announcement.