Shane Long has been ruled out of Ireland's game against the USA at the Aviva on Saturday with the 31-year-old forced to miss the squad's final training session due to a knee injury that, Martin O'Neill subsequently confirmed, will prevent him playing any part in the match.
The Southampton striker's withdrawal leaves the Ireland manager with few attacking options going into the game, although things are looking slightly brighter in midfield with both Harry Arter and Jeff Hendrick fit and available to feature in some way over the course of the evening.
John O’Shea will start as captain in what will be his 118th and final game in an Ireland shirt, and while the Waterford man is likely to be replaced before the break, he says he is delighted to have the one final opportunity to play in front of the Irish fans.
“I’m excited and looking forward to it now,” he said. “It’s been an honour and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”
There have been, he suggested, too many highlights over the course of almost of his long international career to single out one or two although, he acknowledged: “to score against Germany in my 100th cap, particularly given how much it meant in terms of keeping Ireland in the campaign, would be very high on the list.”
It was a rare goal and O’Neill, sitting beside him, poked fun as he paid tribute: “118 caps and his fantastic record of three goals,” he said with a grin, “considering all the corners he went up for. I used to tell him not to bother.”
Changing his tone slightly, O'Neill talked about taking over a team that included both O'Shea and Robbie Keane and expressed his gratitude to the former Ireland skipper for staying on when he might have opted to depart in the wake of Euro 2016 when he ultimately lost his starting spot in the team.
“For him not to retire and to have him about the younger players after the Euros was great for me,” he said with a smile. “John has a nice manner about him. He can be aggressive enough when he wants to be and he can make a point when he’s arguing but he’s had a terrific career and we will miss him.”
O’Shea, meanwhile, recalled the time his underage international career had gotten off to a false start with his father having been informed that, after a good showing in the Kennedy Cup, he was to be included in the next squad.
“Then the squad was named and I wasn’t in it,” he said, shaking his head a little in bemusement. “I think my dad learned a lesson after that not to tell me anything but I was in the following year and it was the start of a great journey for me.”
