5 items in John O'Shea's interim Ireland inbox

With Ireland's 2024 schedule of games just a matter of weeks away, it comes as no surprise that the FAI have opted to announce an interim manager to take charge of the side.

And it is no surprise either that they have turned to former player John O'Shea to take the reins for the upcoming friendly fixtures against Belgium and Switzerland.

O’Shea has also been involved with the squad during the Stephen Kenny era and will bring a strong element of continuity to the upcoming international window.

However, the former Manchester United man will have some big calls to make leading up to the two games.

Answer the Question

It will be a remarkable feat if John O’Shea makes it through the first press conference without having to answer the inevitable. Eileen Gleeson got plagued with the persistent line of questioning regarding aspirations to secure the full-time position.

Her reluctance to answer the question definitively meant that it lingered, and while O’Shea has potentially only got one month in the hot seat, he will, no doubt, have something prepped to be churned out at the earliest opportunity.

Kenny Connection

Looking at John O’Shea’s career to date; a Premier League winner with Manchester United, and one of the most capped players of all time for the Republic of Ireland, combined with what the FAI are looking for in a head coach, it would appear that the Waterford native is a perfect match for the full-time position.

However, O’Shea’s involvement with the previous regime probably rules him out of the running this time around as there are too many who want a completely different approach to how Stephen Kenny set up his side.

While Kenny was happy to patrol the sidelines away from the bench, hugging the touchline throughout games,