John O’Shea says Ireland never reflect on ‘what ifs’ over Declan Rice

Republic of Ireland assistant boss John O’Shea insists he has given no thought to how the side might look had Declan Rice not switched allegiance to England.

Arsenal midfielder Rice, who was eligible for both nations, represented the Republic in three friendlies in 2018 before opting to continue his international career with England.

The 25-year-old has since gone on to become a crucial part of a Three Lions team that reached the final of Euro 2024 in the summer.

London-born Rice is set to face his former international side as he returns to Ireland for Saturday’s Nations League clash between the two countries in Dublin.

He could also be joined in the side by former Ireland Under-21 international Jack Grealish but, despite fans potentially giving the pair a hostile reception at the Aviva Stadium, O’Shea has brushed the matter aside.

Asked if he ever wondered ‘what if’, O’Shea – who played alongside Rice for Ireland – said at a press conference: “No, not at all.

“Look, it’s one of them – it’s a focus on us, the players that are here, the players that want to be here. It’s as simple as that.

“He’s not here, he’s in the England squad, so you can’t keep talking about it.”

Rice’s return may be commanding the headlines, but O’Shea points out Ireland cannot focus only on containing him in new manager Heimir Hallgrimsson’s first match in charge.

“You have to curb a lot of England players’ impact on the game,” he said. “When you play a team that have just been in a Euros final, you know they have lots of threats, they have lots of options to pick from.

“The full focus from our point of view is what we can do to stop them and, more importantly, what we can do to cause them problems.”

Another former Ireland international now in a prominent role with England is Lee Carsley, the current interim boss.

Carsley has stepped up from the Under-21 side following the departure of Gareth Southgate and has an opportunity to stake a claim for the role full-time.

“I’m sure he’s hoping so,” said O’Shea. “He’s jumped up from the 21s after being a successful Under-21s manager, winning the Euros with them.

“Obviously they’ve given him that chance but I’m sure there’ll be a cry-out for other names as well.

“But it’s nothing for us to worry about. Our focus is on the start of the Nations League, the manager coming in, Heimir, and that we give him our full backing, our full support, and hopefully get off to a good start.”