John Egan learning to lead from captain Seamus Coleman's example

John Egan is ready to answer the call if asked to captain the Republic of Ireland against Lithuania in Tuesday night’s friendly international at the Aviva Stadium.

Stephen Kenny is expected to make changes from the side who drew 2-2 with Belgium on Saturday, in what was a high-intensity encounter despite also arriving under the "friendly" banner.

Senior players like current captain Seamus Coleman may sit this one out and Egan is happy to put up his hand if asked to take the armband for the final game of this month’s double header.

The Sheffield United defender spoke about the influence that current captain Coleman brings to the squad, while he also referenced other players like Shane Duffy and James McClean who are natural leaders within the international set-up.

Egan was brought out for the pre-match press conference, which is usually an indication that the player will feature in the relative fixture, and due to the non-competitive nature of the game, the question was posed as to whether he was going to captain the team.

"I don’t have a clue," said Egan, who previously captained the side against Andorra and Hungary last summer when Coleman was out injured.

"I see myself as a leader both at club level, and I think I have grown into a leader here now the more games I’ve played.

"We have a lot of experienced lads in the team; Seamus Coleman is an unbelievable man and an unbelievable captain.

"He has got so much respect from everyone in the camp, so for us looking at him, and looking at the way he conducts himself, kind of gives a great example to the rest of the squad to carry yourself in a professional manner.

"And I think the likes of Seamus, Duffy, McClean, they’ve been around a long time in the squad and it’s great for the