Shane Long has said he knew he wouldn't have a long-term Republic of Ireland future under Stephen Kenny after he was asked to unwittingly pass on his No 9 jersey to Adam Idah.
The Tipperary man has been capped 88 times for his country, but he has been eased out of the picture over the last two years by a wave of younger attacking talent.
Long has not played for Ireland since the friendly against Qatar in June 2021.
Speaking on the 'Kay And Ash, Share Your Voice' podcast, which is co-hosted by his wife Kayleigh, Long shared a story from the early days of Kenny's reign which signified that "the writing was on the wall" in terms of his international future.
"It was late in my Ireland career," the 36-year-old said. "So obviously when you come into the ranks you get a high number in the Ireland squad.
"I remember Kevin Doyle was No 9, Richie Dunne was No 5, Robbie Keane was No 9. Going back over the years it was Gary Kelly No 2, Ian Harte No 3. You kind of earned your number in the squad.
"Once Kevin [Doyle] had left international football and gone to America, I was given the No 9 shirt. I was so proud to have that number, and I had it for years.
"Stephen Kenny called me into the squad. He called me, Seamus Coleman and Darren Randolph. He wanted to start a new tradition of welcoming new players, give them their first Ireland jersey. I had a little speech saying how proud I was to make my first appearance, just introducing them to the team, which I thought was a great idea.
"So Seamus Coleman steps up, I think he had Dara O'Shea and gives him the No 23 jersey. Randolph stepped up, I think it was Caoimhin Kelleher he gave the jersey to, another high number. And then I stepped up and it was Adam Idah, and I was delighted because obviously he's Cork city, he's a bit of a culchie like myself, a young guy, big potential.
"So I gave a speech and I held up the shirt, and on the back it was No 9. I remember just handing that jersey over and I wanted to storm out of that room. And if it was at club level I would have left, that would have been me gone. I didn't want to take away from Adam.
"That was a manager making a statement. I rang Kayleigh, she’s my sounding board and she was raging as well. Adam hadn't made an appearance for Ireland, he hadn't earned the shirt.
"I spent so many years trying to earn that number. That was one of the lowest. I didn't want to take away from Adam, it was a big moment for him. I went straight to the kit man and asked him who picks the numbers, and he said the gaffer. So I knew then that the writing was on the wall."
As recently as last May, Kenny left the door open for Long to return to the fold, saying: "He's been an amazing player for Ireland, someone we really value as a person in Irish football history."
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