John O'Shea not concerned by distracting England sideshows as Declan Rice and Jack Grealish return

John O’Shea is not getting distracted by the several sideshows in play ahead of the opening UEFA Nations League clash with England on Saturday evening.

With the return of former players like Jack Grealish, who played up to Under-21 level for Ireland, and Declan Rice, who actually played three times for the senior side, there was obvious interest in the assistant manager’s thoughts on the two players, who have enjoyed a high-profile England career since declaring for the country of their birth.

And not to mention former Ireland midfielder Lee Carsley who will be in the opposite dug-out following his elevation from Under-21s to senior side, albeit on an interim basis for the Nations League campaign.

It all begins with the clash at the Aviva Stadium and Ireland are boosted by the fact that they have a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the doubleheader, with Greece next up on Tuesday night.

There were concerns over the fitness of Seamus Coleman and Andrew Omobamidele due to the fact that both defenders sat out training on Tuesday.

But assistant head coach O’Shea confirmed that there were no injuries and both players trained with the squad on Wednesday morning.

"When you see the England squad and the 26 that were picked, obviously there was potential of lads with little illnesses or niggles and they left themselves a bit of space in terms of the numbers they picked," said O’Shea, when asked about the high profile withdrawals, with Phil Foden, Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer missing the game on Saturday.

"So they still have some good options to pick from; so they will be okay, but it's full focus on ourselves. Obviously, it brings it into play maybe some of the younger players they picked in the squad so it will be interesting to