Martin O’Neill has dismissed as “lunacy” suggestions he should have capped teenager Declan Rice in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova to tie him to the Republic of Ireland.
On the eve of Monday night’s final Nations League qualifier against Denmark in Aarhus, O’Neill once again found himself having to defend his handling of the West Ham defender, who is mulling over whether to opt for Ireland or England.
His comments came days after 18-year-old Southampton striker Michael Obafemi committed himself to the Republic, and he could now make his first senior appearance for his country against the Danes.
However, asked about suggestions that he should have ensured 19-year-old Rice did the same by handing him a cap in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova in October last year, O’Neill bristled.
He said: “I find it incredible to think that I should be thinking about that during a game where we are fighting for our lives and trying to win at home.
“I wouldn’t really have thought through where Declan Rice was in that particular scheme. I don’t know whether he was playing regularly for West Ham at the time – I doubt it.
“We brought him in and he trained with us in the summer time and enjoyed it immensely. He was playing games in friendly matches – but I don’t know whether that was the first thing on my mind versus Moldova.
“To think about putting him on for a couple of minutes just to cap him is crazy, crazy thinking that you should have your mindset on that.
“Secondly – and probably as important – the player would know, so I would say if Declan had thoughts about who he was going to play for, I think that would have reared its head at that particular time.
“To have that criticism directed at you is lunacy, real lunacy. I think that whole situation is absolutely ludicrous.”
Ireland desperately need a lift after a poor run of form which has seen them win only once in their last 10 games, eight of them this calendar year, and the emergence of a young, exciting talent might help to do that.
However, O’Neill will not rush Obafemi into action.
He said: “Michael looks as if he’s got good talent. He’s a young lad coming through, he’s played in the under-19s, he’s made a couple of substitute appearances for Southampton’s first team and that’s good.
“That means it looks as if at club level, he’s making a bit of progress. But he’d be the first one to say he’s a long way to go, a long way to go at this minute, and that would go for a number of the players that we have here and that we have capped.”
His views are shared by captain Seamus Coleman, who insists caps should be earned and not given away.
Coleman said: “Growing up, the proudest thing I ever did was putting on that green shirt. You just can’t be handed caps – not Michael in particular, Michael has been great – but as the manager said about Declan, if he wasn’t playing for West Ham, he can’t just go, ‘Right, we’ll give you a game so you stay with us’.
“If the lads want to stay with us, then great, but you can’t just be handing out international caps. It’s the best feeling in the world and you have got to earn it.
“You can’t be given a cap just to tie you down. You’ve got to want to play for your country and earn it.”
