Interim Republic of Ireland manager John O’Shea has announced his 26-man squad for the upcoming friendlies against Hungary and Portugal in June.

The Boys in Green welcome Hungary to Aviva Stadium on June 4 before facing Portugal in a mouth-watering contest at the Aveiro Municipal Stadium seven days later.

The upcoming games will serve as Ireland’s final dress rehearsals before the UEFA Nations League tournament starts in September, where they will get the ball rolling against England.

O’Shea will oversee the friendlies as the Irish Football Association (FAI) continues their search for a permanent manager and he is eager to stake his claim for the permanent role.

FAI Still Dithering Over Permanent Appointment

The FAI’s search for a new manager to lead the Irish national team continues to drag on, with O’Shea set to remain in the interim role for the upcoming June friendlies.

The former Manchester United defender took the reins for the March friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland. While there were some improvements to their style of play, structure and coordination, Ireland failed to register a single win or even a goal in either fixture.

The FAI initially aimed to have a permanent manager in place by April, but further delays have pushed the decision back to the summer.

While O’Shea has expressed his willingness to continue leading the team, the protracted search for Stephen Kenny’s successor creates yet another unwanted spotlight on the FAI.

The departure of Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Hill undoubtedly contributed to the delays, but interim boss David Courell is expected to play a key role in the ongoing search.

Former Ghana national team boss Chris Hughton is understood to be the front-runner despite his underwhelming spell with the Black Stars at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Ghana were touted as pre-tournament favourites by the bookmakers, but they failed to make it past the group stage in what turned out to be a miserable AFCON campaign for the African giants.

Hughton, who parted ways with Ghana after the competition, was initially ruled out of contention for the Ireland job.

However, after the FAI were turned down by priority target Lee Carsley, they could return for the former Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United manager.

O’Shea Stands by Duffy Despite Off-Field Controversy

O’Shea raised plenty of eyebrows when he called up Shane Duffy to the national team squad despite the controversy surrounding the Norwich City defender.

According to Norfolk police, Duffy was charged with ‘driving whilst unfit through drink’ on May 6 and will appear before Norwich Magistrates’ Court on July 2.

Despite this, the 32-year-old still made O’Shea’s squad for the double-header, with the interim boss insisting the FAI didn’t interfere with his decision on the centre-back.

The experienced defender has been capped 60 times by Ireland and captained the team in Kenny’s final game in charge but wasn’t included in the squad for the March friendlies.

There was also a maiden senior call-up for 21-year-old Thomas Cannon, who had been mulling over his international allegiances as he is also eligible to feature for England.

Cannon helped Leicester City achieve Premier League promotion with two goals and an assist in 13 Championship games and will be eager to earn his first cap in the friendlies.

Troy Parrott, Enda Stevens and Liam Scales have all returned to the national team, while Festy Ebosele, Alan Browne and Kasey McAteer were left out due to injury and contract issues.

Parrott is named among five forwards, which also include in-form Blackburn Rovers attacker Sammie Szmodics and Celtic’s Adam Idah.

Other notable absentees from O’Shea’s squad are Chiedozie Ogbene, Nathan Collins, Evan Ferguson and Gavin Bazunu, who have been omitted due to injuries. Ireland’s 26-man squad for the June double-header is as follows:

• Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (Bournemouth), Max O’Leary (Bristol City), David Harrington (Fleetwood Town).
• Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolves), Shane Duffy (Norwich City), Dara O’Shea (Burnley), Jake O’Brien (Lyon), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Liam Scales (Celtic), Robbie Brady (Preston North End), Enda Stevens (Stoke City).
• Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen), Callum O’Dowda (Cardiff City), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Celtic).
• Forwards: Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn Rovers), Adam Idah (Celtic, on loan from Norwich City), Troy Parrott (Excelsior, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Michael Obafemi (Millwall, on loan from Burnley), Tom Cannon (Leicester City).

Bookies Back O’Shea to get off the Mark

Ireland showed glimpses of improvement under O’Shea’s leadership in March, and he will be eager to get his first win as interim manager.

Online bookmakers fancy their chances in the opening friendly against a team who will be hoping to upset the odds at the upcoming European Championship in Germany.

They will head into the game against Hungary as slight favourites at odds of 2.60 on the top Irish betting apps and will fancy their chances of nicking a win on home turf.

Ireland will revert to their betting outsider status when they take on Portugal, but it would be silly to write them off before a ball is kicked.

O’Shea’s team may not be the most popular option among punters on the Emerald Isle, considering they have won just one of their last eight games, including friendlies.

However, Irish punters are known for being loyal to the national team and will probably wager heavily on them to defeat Hungary and Portugal.

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