Republic of Ireland assistant manager John O'Shea has insisted that the cream of the crop of League of Ireland players are very much in the thoughts of the Boys in Green management team.
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and O'Shea are building towards next week's first competitive assignement of 2025 when Bulgaria are the opposition in a two-legged UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-off tie.
The squad is due to be named later this week and there has been increasing speculation that a small number of domestic-based players will be included in the final squad with Shamrock Rovers defender Josh Honohan the name on the tip of many tongues.
Indeed, Hallgrimsson told Friday's Late Late Show that he has selected two Rovers players in his provisional squad for the Bulgaria tie, whilst also refuting suggestions that he had previously encouraged players to leave the League of Ireland to boost their international chances in comments that had led to a furious reaction from Hoops boss Stephen Bradley.
The Iceland native has been in attendance at some LOI games since his appointment last summer and O'Shea was also spotted at Tolka Park during the recent draw between Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers - and the latter says that scouting remit is one they will not overlook.
"Definitely it has to fit in because when you have the teams with some of the young talent that they have and that have done well in Europe too," he told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast in an in-depth conversation as he and Ireland rugby player Peter O'Mahony took part in Heineken 0.0's Match Day Experiment last week.
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"They have to come under our scrutiny, come under our eye to see if they can be invovled and help us out in any way.
"We have to look at every avenue and the talent that's in the League of Ireland as well, you can see it right from the off.
"From the start of the season too and the profile that the league has in terms of the announcement of Mason (Melia)'s move to Tottenham Hotspur, the profile that got as well.
"Look, taking it back away from all that, it's just what players can help us qualify, what players can help us win games, that's what we have to look at."
With the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup looming large after the battle for Nations League safety is addressed, deepening the squad remains at the forefront of the management teams thoughts.
In January, Hallgrimsson and O'Shea both attended a Championship clash between Burnley and Sunderland.
While keeping tabs on Ireland midfielder Josh Cullen - Alan Browne was an injury absentee at Turf Moor and John Egan an unused sub - was one consideration, both clubs contain players eligible for the Boys in Green senior team, namely the likes of CJ Egan Riley and Dublin-born England underage international Dennis Cirkin among others.
O'Shea says the management team remain constantly on the look-out for players who may be willing to declare for Ireland but was coy as to whether any new names will be doing so in the near future.
"You're aware whether it's through connections at clubs, through managers, through agents, whatever it might be that these (types of) players are available and maybe some of the players are not too sure of their eligibility etc and you have to do a bit of digging and background checks," he said.
"But listen, we have to make sure we go through every possibility to help Ireland qualify for tournaments. I think that's the key element.
"You need that competition, we need a fully competitive squad and most importantly we need the players playing week in, week out to really help us get that competitive element back, especially when the qualifiers come round in particular.
"Big games coming up against Bulgaria but most importantly when you're on that build-up to September."
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