JOHN O’SHEA believes Ireland have the players to qualify for major tournaments again — regardless of who is in the hotseat.
O’Shea was installed as interim manager for the friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.
The Waterford man was dismayed by his side’s inability to win either game — or even score a goal.
There was a disciplined performance in the scoreless draw against the Red Devils and, after a shaky first half-hour, his team regrouped against Murat Yakin’s men but were unable to recover from Xherdan Shaqiri’s opener.
Having spelled out the need to get results, that was something of a disappointment for the former Manchester United utility man.
But he has seen enough — both from his time as an assistant to the Under-21 and senior teams, as well as his spell as caretaker boss — to be enthusiastic about the squad’s potential.
O’Shea said: “I think so, I really do, because I know how they are going to develop, I know the quality they have.
“But it is a frustrating one for them, because if they get the win against Belgium . . .
“As soon as the win comes it is going to be such a big boost to the group because they have the quality, undoubted quality.
“The key thing now is getting back to your club, playing for your club and showing that quality, consistently.”
There has already been an improvement in that regard.
Last season saw a record low of 9,329 minutes for Irish players in the Premier League but there is likely to be a near 50 per cent increase in that by the end of the current campaign, even if some of those will suffer relegation.
O’Shea said: “We need more players in the Premier League because it’s decision-making, it’s the speed, it’s the physicality, we need to keep matching that.”
Asked if that meant it was a good time for someone to become Ireland boss, O’Shea replied: “Whenever you get a chance to manage your country is a good time.
“Ultimately you are going to have experience or younger players or a balance of both.”
‘I don’t know’
His pride in taking charge for the international window was clear but what is less obvious is whether or not he is now a candidate to land the permanent gig.
At O’Shea’s unveiling, director of football Marc Canham said Stephen Kenny’s successor would be named in April once they had fulfilled ‘existing contractual arrangements’.
The 42-year-old — who parted company with Birmingham City in January following the sacking of Wayne Rooney— confirmed that he has no such constraints. But with absence of a confirmed name leaking out, there has been speculation that no deal is in place and that the 118-times capped O’Shea may now be a contender after making a favourable impression.
Asked if he expected to talk to the FAI about taking the job on a permanent basis, O’Shea said: “Maybe, I don’t know. It is a case of wait and see.”
He did confirm that no talks took place before or during his caretaker stint. He believes that the two games could form an important part of preparations for the Nations League campaign which begins in September with a match at home to England.
But he admitted a full-time boss may have approached them differently.
He said: “It is just in terms of focusing on qualifying for a major tournament. You are talking about combinations of players that potentially could play with each other six months down the line, that type of thing, where you can work on a few ideas like that.
“Rather than, obviously, it’s the here and now, I spoke about winning games to the players.
“Ultimately, the big thing for me is that I will help Ireland any way I can, always. That focus will remain there and that will be a key part of my life, always.”