Republic of Ireland v England: Facing England not about ‘gung-ho emotion’ – Seamus Coleman

Having made his debut in February 2011, Coleman is the Republic of Ireland’s longest-serving player.

With Heimir Hallgrimsson installed as boss, Coleman is also set to feature under his fifth manager at international level having featured in the reigns of Giovanni Trapattoni, Martin O’Neill, Mick McCarthy and Stephen Kenny.

Coleman is one of only two Republic of Ireland players to have played at a tournament, too, with both he and Robbie Brady part of the country’s Euro 2016 squad.

And he insists the team’s crop of younger players must aspire to reach the finals of a tournament, with the country’s last World Cup appearance coming back in 2002.

“That’s the ultimate goal as an international player,” said Coleman, who has been Republic of Ireland’s captain since 2016.

“It’s all well and good gathering caps but when all is said and done and you have your feet up when you’re retired, you’ll look back at the memories of France in 2016.

“That’s where this group now, the younger lads, should be aspiring to get to, the major tournaments, because that’s why you do it and that’s where we want to be.”

He added: “We need to understand why we’re here. It’s not to pick up caps, it’s to make the country proud and the fans are crying out for tournaments.

“When you’re sitting at home and you’re watching them in the summer, you want to be there and the fans deserve to be there.

“Maybe we have to toughen up our mindset and make sure that qualifying is at the forefront.”