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Kenny’s on a 5-year deal with Pats and without knowing the numbers, I’m sure its more than the U21 role could offer. I’d rather look elsewhere at somebody younger that could potentially be a senior manager in the future. The U21 role should be a stepping stone for the senior job.
Personally I'd rather keep the two completely separate for the most part. We do produce good underage teams from time to time,.but that can create a situation where an underage team makes a manager look better than he is, or it can be the case that a manager works well with younger players but it doesn't translate to experienced pros. We've tried it twice in modern times - with Kenny and Kerr - and neither was a success.
Ultimately, if a manager is in the frame for the Under 21 job and is gettable at the rate that role pays, that in itself may be a sign that he's not ready for the senior job. I think there almost always needs to be something in-between to prove suitability for the senior role, either at club level or with another national team.
Would Colin O'Brien be interested? A step up and a different kind of challenge than with the u17s but he'd obviously be aware of most of the young talent coming through. I think we'll all assuming Crawford won't be retained, though unsure what his contract status is.
Crawford has signed a separate contract for the duration of each campaign he has managed (failed) in. So it's almost certain that his contract will end once this qualification campaign ends and we can finally see the back of him. At the moment O'Brien seems as likely as anyone alright, and he would be working with many of the same players he has worked with before.