Jon Walters assures O'Neill he won’t exit Ireland stage

Although absent from this week’s trip to Turkey as he continues his recovery from knee surgery in January, Jon Walters has assured Martin O’Neill that he is not planning to retire from international football.

After Wes Hoolahan and Daryl Murphy announced they were hanging up the green shirt, there was speculation the 34-year-old might follow suit.

But speaking at the Irish squad’s training base in Belek yesterday, O’Neill was happy to report that, all being well, the striker intends to carry on in the service of his county.