Martin O’Neill planning for the long haul with Ireland

Martin O’Neill might not have had any fresh news to report on the state of his contract negotiations with the FAI yesterday but, as he unveiled a 40-strong Ireland squad which includes three players wholly new to the international scene, he gave a strong hint that, as Ireland manager, he’s already looking beyond even Euro 2016.

“After the Euros, it’s not long before we’re in playing World Cup matches,” he pointed out.

“And we are, I think, going to lose one or two of the players – (the Euros) might be a swansong for one or two of the senior players.