Martin O'Neill has said it would have been "wrong" for him to play Declan Rice and Jack Grealish in a competitive game for the Republic of Ireland because both wanted to represent England.
O'Neill was manager of the Boys in Green when the two young talents were making names for themselves at West Ham and Aston Villa. Both players shone for underage Ireland teams, with Rice playing three senior international friendlies.
If either had been capped just once in a competitive international match, they would have been locked into playing for Ireland. FIFA has since made changes to international eligibility, allowing players who have played less than four competitive games to switch country.
They are both currently part of an England squad that's preparing to take on France in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday night.
Speaking about the matter to English radio station Talksport, O'Neill said. "First of all, you can't coerce players into becoming international players. [Rice] played in three friendly games at senior level, he was terrific in the games. It’s as simple as this: Declan Rice wanted to play for England.
"He’s born in England, it really is as simple as that, you cannot just bring them into an international game, a competitive game, where the minute they play a competitive match for the country that’s them announcing they’re going to be playing for them.
"That was never going to be the case, you can’t deceive people into playing these games. You cannot force them into that.
"Jack Grealish was exactly the same, he was in my early stages of international management. I went to see Jack Grealish, I went to see his dad. Jack Grealish was born in England, and Jack Grealish did play some underage football for the Republic of Ireland, which he loved doing.
"But then when you have to make a decision, that decision was made by Jack Grealish and his father. His father's also English too, you might go back to heritage as well, but that’s what they wanted to do, and I’m not going to disavow them of that."
When pushed on whether he felt he should have simply capped both players to ensure their international future lay with Ireland, O'Neill added: "I would never have done it, I couldn't possibly do that, that would be wrong for a start. And secondly, it’s not as if they don’t know the rules.
"The players know the rules and the players’ dads know the rules, it couldn’t be more simple, so this idea of taking criticism for not coercing two players who are now playing for England.
"I wouldn’t possibly have done it, and Declan Rice would have been aware of it so he wouldn’t have done it.
"If Gareth Southgate had said 'listen son, you haven’t got a prayer of getting in this side over the next five years’ there might have been a conversation, but that wasn’t the case."
