Former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has claimed that Ireland should have played both Declan Rice and Jack Grealish when they both played for the country all those years ago.
Both Rice and Grealish were born in England but qualified for Ireland through their parents. The pair played for Ireland's underage sides, with Rice winning the Republic of Ireland U17 Player of the Year in 2016 and the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) Young International Player of the Year in 2018, while Grealish won the FAI Under-17 Irish International Player of the Year in 2012 and FAI Under-21 Irish International Player of the Year in 2015.
There had been attempts to get both to declare full-time for Ireland, but after talks with Gareth Southgate at different times, the pair decided to declare for their country of birth.
It was also reported at the time that the then Ireland manager, McCarthy, and his assistant, Robbie Keane, told Rice that he was a potential future captain of Ireland and that they would build the team around him should he decide to play for the country.
Both players have become integral for their country since making the switch from green to white.
Speaking on the ‘"Quickly Kevin, Will He Score" podcast, the former Ireland boss said that both made the right decision at the end of the day.
“I just inherited that one at the very last knockings of Declan. I went to meet him, and he’s such a lovely guy,” McCarthy said. “Really sad that… he’d obviously made that decision then or was in the process of making that decision. Looking at him now, he’s made his decision, it’s the right decision for him. He’s thriving on it. The same with Jack Grealish.”
The two most expensive English players of all time were both Republic of Ireland youth internationals.
Jack Grealish represented Ireland at U17, U18, U21 level and in 2015 was named Republic of Ireland U21 player of the year.
Declan Rice was named Republic of Ireland U17 player… pic.twitter.com/8cAWrhn6Yb
— Football Accumulator (@footballacca) July 23, 2023
Things could have been so different had FIFA's eligibility rules not changed. The rule before 2020 meant that players with one appearance in a competitive match, including Nations League games, were tied to that country for the remainder of their international careers.
The new rule change from 2020 means that players can now switch if they have played no more than three competitive matches at the senior level before turning 21.
Appearances in World Cup finals matches or continental finals such as the European Championships prohibit a change of eligibility. However, appearing in a tournament qualifier does not.
McCarthy continued on the podcast and added that Ireland should have taken a chance on both players before the rule change. However, the selection call came down to another Ireland boss, Martin O'Neill.
“We should have played them before we did," he added. “You can play more games now. It used to be one game; if you played one competitive game, then you were deemed to be of that nationality.
“And of course, we never picked Jack or Declan to play in one of them, which is sad. We’d be a much better team if those two were with us.”
When asked if he'd make the call, McCarthy said he would have done so.
“I’d have to say I have given people caps; yes, I have. I’ve put them on to make sure they are going to play for us. I have done it. I’m not going to lie about that. Some of them will be delighted that I did because they’ve gone on to have good careers.”
