Former Republic of Ireland legend Richard Dunne has not ruled himself out of the possibility of getting the Derry City managerial job.

The Candystripes are still looking for a new permanent manager after they parted ways with Tiernan Lynch earlier this month, seemingly after a falling out with star player James McClean, who was also reportedly about to have his contract terminated before Derry City changed their minds.

It’s been a chaotic summer for the side as they are still off the pace to qualify for European places, currently sitting in sixth as it looks like their owners’ huge investment won’t be paying off this campaign.

But speaking in Dublin this week ahead of Home Farm’s return to the League of Ireland as part of Home Farm DCU in the new League of Ireland National Division, former Ireland international Richard Dunne spoke about the possibility of taking over at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.

Dunne has his UEFA Pro Licence and was previously linked with the Bohemians job in 2022, having spoken about wanting to follow teammate Damien Duff and manage in the League of Ireland.

When asked about the Derry City gig, Dunne told RTÉ Sport: ‘Derry’s a really good club and a club that seems to have really good backing. I’m sure they have loads of potential targets and… you know, just see how it goes.

‘I still do coaching, I’m at games all the time, and yeah I still have ambitions to coach at a higher level.

‘I’m interested in this now at Home Farm, to be part of this and to see the workings behind the scenes and all that sort of stuff, so yeah it’s still an ambition of mine. It’s something that I enjoy doing. I enjoy being on the pitch, I enjoy watching games, I enjoy trying to help players develop.’

The National Division kicks off next week as 15 teams are split into three groups, and after playing each team in that group home and away, a play-off between the group winners and best runner-up will decide this year’s champion.