John O’Shea will remain in the men’s national team set up after he was confirmed as assistant head coach under new manager Heimir Hallgrímsson.
Hallgrímsson was confirmed as the new Republic of Ireland head coach at the start of July following a drawn out hunt by the FAI to replace Stephen Kenny following his departure last year.
O’Shea served as interim manager after Kenny parted ways with the FAI in November, overseeing the team for a series of friendlies earlier this year. It was a mixed bag for the former Irish international, picking up losses against Switzerland and Portugal, a 0-0 draw against Belgium and a solitary 2-1 victory over Hungary.
On Monday, the make-up of Hallgrímsson’s backroom team was confirmed by the FAI, with O’Shea slotting in as assistant head coach and Crystal Palace’s Paddy McCarthy taking up the mantle as assistant coach. The FAI said McCarthy will remain in his role with the Premier League club, “linking up with the Ireland squad in the international windows”.
Hallgrímsson has also welcomed his fellow Icelander into the fold, with Gudmundur Hreidarsson appointed assistant coach keeping an eye on goalkeeping, while Damien Doyle, head of athletic performance, will remain in his role.
A new performance analyst is due to be recruited in the coming months, the FAI added.
“I’m delighted to secure the services of John and Paddy for the coaching team, and welcome Gudmundur to Ireland,” said Hallgrímsson.
“It was an absolute priority for me to bring John into the staff when I joined the association. I travelled down to Waterford at the first opportunity to sit down with him and discuss the role. It became clear we’re very much aligned in our ideas and what the future should look like, and it’s fantastic he has agreed to be the assistant head coach.”
He added: “Paddy has also agreed to continue his work with the team and the wealth of experience he brings will continue to be invaluable to the team. Gudmundur has been an important part of my coaching staff throughout my career and I am delighted he can join me once again in Ireland. Work has already begun with our focus fully on the matches against England and Greece in September.
Hallgrímsson’s first test will be the upcoming Uefa Nations League campaign, with Ireland first facing England in Dublin on September 7th.
Group B will also see the squad welcome Greece on September 10th before travelling to Helsinki to meet Finland a month later.
Ireland will then make the return trip to Greece on October 13th, before hosting Finland at the Aviva on November 14th and wrapping up the group stage with a visit to Wembley on November 17th.
