JOHN O’SHEA reckons fellow Waterford man Thomas Barr showed why experience should be valued in sport.
The Ireland interim boss raised eyebrows with his selection of Shane Duffy and Robbie Brady against Hungary last Tuesday ahead of younger options.
But – after watching veteran Barr help Ireland to glory in the 4 x 400m mixed relay at the European Championships on Friday – O’Shea insisted it is important for players like Duffy to be around the pass the baton on to the country’s emerging stars.
O’Shea said: “It’s a weird one, it’s a different sport obviously but you see the mixed relay team getting their gold medal in Europe,
“There’s Tom Barr and the age of Tom and the rest of the lads, you can see there’s a bit of quality there too with experience.
“I met Tom once or twice, have kept an eye on him, he’s had a couple of tough injuries but you see the dedication he has had, for the four of them to get the result was brilliant.
“We need that blend, we need people that have had big results for Ireland, been involved in big game scenarios and helping the younger ones understand it, that’s the key for me.”
OPPORTUNITIES
But O’Shea insisted no young player would be held back and that they would be rewarded with opportunities if they put themselves forward.
He said: “It’s the level that the lads will be playing at and if the younger ones are ready, we will see that, the eyes we have on them in training and going to watch them in games.
“We will know watching clips and different bits when they are ready to start and improve the national team it will be fairly straightforward.
“They will be performing at a level where you can’t ignore them anymore, they are ready to go and take the next steps in their career.”
The former Manchester United star has a full strength squad to choose from for Tuesday’s game against Portugal with Duffy and Finn Azaz shaking off knocks and Mark Travers available following his wedding.
O’Shea said: “Shane was a bit of a worry, he got a knock on his calf, thankfully he has been OK. We had a light session and he took part. Fiinn had a bang on the squad but is OK. He trained too.
“Mark’s a happily married man! He is a top professional as always and has been training great. It’s brilliant to see him because he’s a brilliant goalkeeper.”