The Northern Irish tactician was on Tuesday named in a four-man shortlist for the vacant post alongside ex-Chelsea assistant coach Jose Morais, Turkish coach Engin Fırat and German Hans Michael Weiss.
The former Leone Stars boss is seen as the favourite for the job following his success with Sierra Leone team in which he led them into top 50 in the FIFA world rankings and losing only one of his first six matches.
However, McKinstry was shown the axe by Sierra Leone following defeats by Ivory Coast and DR Congo in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.