Karl Sheppard says Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny should be allowed to blood young guns during the upcoming World Cup qualifiers with a focus on long-term success.
Ireland begin their quest to qualify for Qatar 2022 with a trip to Serbia on 24 March, before hosting Luxembourg in Dublin three days later.
Kenny could again be without a number of key players, with goalkeeper Darren Randolph ruled out and doubts over Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah, and Sheppard says the Football Association of Ireland should tell its manager to look to the future and start bringing through the next generation.
The former Cork City forward told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast: "We're in a position now where we're going into the Serbia game very weakened. I’d be very surprised if we were expected to get a win out of this game.
"Look what happened with Michael O’Neill and Northern Ireland. He had a horrific start and was given time to put his shape on it, how he wanted his team to play. We’ve all seen the effects of what that had.
"It’s hard for us all to look long-term but I’d like the FAI to be giving him instructions to play the long game, gel the team together and go with a younger team that in a few years’ time will bear the fruits of that."
Kenny has endured an extremely testing start to his managerial reign, with injuries and Covid-19 leaving him shorn of a plethora of first-team players.
The Dubliner is still searching for his first win after eight games in charge, with Ireland having failed to score a goal in the last seven.
"He’s been the unluckiest manager to ever step into the role," said Sheppard.
"Anything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong and now he has the pressure of needing to get some results.
"I’d like him to go down the route where he says he’s in for the long haul, and instead of going with the more experienced players, like Harry Arter for example, go with youth and really trust it.
"You’ll probably see the long-term effects of that in three to five years when lads have gotten game time in tough matches like this, rather than bleeding them in.
"There is probably no better time than now to put them in when the pressure is off and people aren’t expecting much."
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