O´Shea not drawn on Ireland future

Republic of Ireland defender John O’Shea would not be drawn on his international future after his side exited Euro 2016 following defeat to France.

The 35-year-old started Ireland’s opening two games at the tournament, but did not feature in the win over Italy and made only a late substitute appearance in Sunday’s knockout loss.

When asked about his potential retirement after the French reverse, O’Shea opted to focus on celebrating a strong campaign with his team-mates.

“I’m not going to get involved in that now,” he said.

“I’m going to enjoy tonight with a special group of players and a special backroom staff and coaching staff.

“It’s very different, especially when we had that moment with the fans in the corner – that’s something I’ll cherish for a long time.”

However, while the Sunderland man is one of 11 members of the Ireland squad to have passed their 30th birthday, goalscorer Robbie Brady insists the future is bright.

“You can see that we’ve got some quality players,” he said.

“You hear things about the future not being so bright, but I think we went out there and showed that we’ve got a bit about us today.

“We’ll be accepting nothing more than getting out of the World Cup group and representing on the big stage again, letting so many thousands of Irish fans show what they’re about as well.”