Ireland's Jake O'Brien has claimed his international debut this week was a proud moment for him and his family.
The Cork native came off the bench in the 2-1 win over Hungary and was quickly called into action. The Lyon defender made a decent block in the second half.
O'Brien has been made to wait for his first international cap, and some fans have questioned why it has taken so long to come.
Nevertheless, the 23-year-old explained to the media this week that it was a dream come true to have made his international debut.
"It was a proud moment for me and my family as well. It was great to do it at home and even better to win," he said
"Yeah, I think it's things like this that you dream of when you're younger. Making a debut is a different type of feeling. It's very special."
When asked further how he found international football, the Lyon player said there was a great sense of unity in the Ireland camp, and this was evident in the celebrations on show in the Aviva Stadium this week.
"You have to adapt to the way other players play because you might not be used to it. Since we've been training together, there's been a great sense of unity. The boys are great, and the coaches are great. You can see it at the end when we score; there's a togetherness there. It's been a great start to the window, and hopefully more in Portugal next week."
O'Shea's Ireland managerial chances have increased with the win, and some have even said he should get the job after the Hungary win. O'Brien claims that the Waterford native should get the job because of the unity he's brought to the team in the short amount of time spent in the role.
"The players all seem very fond of John. There seems to be a strong bond, even if you look at the celebrations afterward. We're all very close, and I think you can see that in the way we play and celebrate together. We want him to get the job on a permanent basis because he's brought a lot of unity and positive energy to the team."
Ireland play Portugal on Tuesday
