John O'Shea’s first foray into management has whetted his appetite for more, with the Waterford man admitting that returning to the Republic of Ireland dugout as interim manager – or as the permanent successor to Stephen Kenny – would be an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.
O’Shea was at the helm for the scoreless draw with Belgium, the third highest ranked side in the world, and the 1-0 defeat by Switzerland at the Aviva in the last international window in late March.
Irish football affairs continue in a state of flux – on and off the field – with Kenny’s eventual successor uncertain and the FAI now on the lookout for a new chief executive as Jonathan Hill is set to stand down at the end of the month.
Having answered Ireland’s call as a player, with his 118 caps placing him behind only Robbie Keane and Shay Given in the all-time list, and serving as an assistant to Kenny, the 42-year-old confirmed that being offered the manager’s job would be a dream true.
"I’d love it to be the case. If and when, I’d be ready to take on that challenge," O’Shea, who was at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday as part of the UEFA Europa League Trophy Tour, told RTÉ Sport.
Ireland are scheduled to face Hungary in Dublin on 4 June and travel to Aveiro to face Portugal a week later, with the friendly fixtures the final games before the Nations League opener against England on 7 September.
Asked if he would be in line to guide Ireland through both games, O'Shea said: "Let's wait and see.
"I think the experience I've gained now from the last two games has just given me an appetite and a knowledge that I can and will be a manager going forward and whatever happens, happens."
Reflecting on the matches in March, he added: "It was an amazing honour to manage our country and one that I was obviously always preparing for, in terms of when you get involved in coaching and being involved with the 21s and then with the seniors, so it just gave me a taste for more, really."
O’Shea offered that being charged with picking the starting line-ups for the clashes against Belgium and Switzerland was the biggest shift in his brief in a set-up he was already familiar with.
"When you're working with staff beforehand and now, ultimately, picking the starting 11, you take advice from your staff, but ultimately the tough decisions that you have to make on an 11 are down to you. And that's what it was. The starting 11 was down to me.
"And the way it was, because it was two friendlies, I didn't even have to cut numbers for the substitutes, that can be a challenge as well. But it was one I was more than capable of and one I really enjoyed."
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