O'Neill keeps open mind on exiles

MARTIN O'Neill will keep an open door and an open mind to possible returns to the Republic of Ireland squad for some exiled individuals.

The new manager has expressed the hope that all of the current squad will remain in situ and the Derryman intends to sit down with captain Robbie Keane early in the week to discuss the LA Galaxy striker's state of play.

After confirmation of O'Neill's appointment during the week, Stephen Ireland suggested that he was ready to end his six-year international exile, while Shay Given hinted that he could, possibly, be tempted out of retirement.

O'Neill's new assistant, Roy Keane, is attending this afternoon's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Cardiff City.

Keane will keep an eye on Ciaran Clark, who could benefit this week from Richard Dunne's absence. 

While Keane is in Birmingham, an informal rendezvous with Given may tease out the Donegalman's position, though Given is again not named in Villa's squad.

"I would like to get these two games (Latvia and Poland) out of the way and then have a look at it and assess it," O'Neill said. 

"If anybody is willing to be of value to the Republic of Ireland set up here, I would certainly have an open mind."

O'Neill had signed Ireland for Villa, but hours later he was gone from the club, so the Corkman has never played for the new Irish boss.

O'Neill has crafted a fine reputation as a manager in a club career that has taken in stops at Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City, Celtic, Villa and Sunderland.

Now, though, he goes into an entirely different stratosphere and international management which offers only brief passages of working directly with players.

"That is the thing that I was pondering over  the most," he said 

"Not the fact that it was the Republic of Ireland, quite the opposite, but it really was the idea of stepping out of the day-to-day management that I've done for twenty odd years and going in to manage an international team, where you get the players or a condensed period.

"My concern of course is a very obvious one: That you don't work with the players on a day-to-day basis. 

"When you lose a football match at club level you can have a chance to put it right the next week. I'm not so sure what it would be like when they have three months to think about it. 

O'Neill said all the right things during his unveiling at the Gibson Hotel, giving hope to players in the League of Ireland that they won't be ignored during his tenure.

O'Neill said Giovanni Trapattoni's comments about the League had been 'lost in translation' adding: "I will have a look now, I will have time and opportunity to come over and view it."