O’Shea, who had 118 caps in his Ireland career, made his progression into coaching in 2020. He currently occupies a first-team coaching role at Stoke City and will begin his new role in the Ireland team after initially coaching the U21 side.

“I'm delighted to join the Ireland senior international team coaching staff and looking forward to working with Stephen and the rest of the backroom team when the campaign begins in March,” he said.

“It was always an honour to play for my country and put on the green shirt so to join the coaching staff and work with the current group of players and staff is an amazing opportunity for me.

“I'd like to thank Jim Crawford and the Ireland U-21 backroom team who've been fantastic to work with over the last few years and wish them every success after such a strong qualification campaign last year.

“We've got a really exciting group of players, a good mix of youth and experience, and some fantastic fixtures to look forward to this year so I can't wait for it to begin and to get to work with the squad and staff.”

The Republic of Ireland Head Coach, Stephen Kenny, said of the appointment: “We're delighted to welcome John to the senior international coaching team.”

“John had a brilliant career playing for Ireland right through from U15 to earning 118 caps for his country. Following that, he has committed himself to a career in coaching, working with both Reading and Stoke City for almost four years now.”