Martin O'Neill feels that Declan Rice and Jack Grealish switching international allegiance from Ireland to England is often used as a "stick to beat me with".
Jack Grealish and Declan Rice's history with Ireland
Grealish played up the U21 level with Ireland before announcing in 2015 that he had chosen to represent England at international level. Rice played three times at senior level for Ireland under O'Neill before pledging his future to England in early 2019.
"Jack Grealish and Declan Rice, first of all, both born in England. Both born in England, for a start," O'Neill exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone.
"Jack's father is English, as well. There's an opportunity for both of them at an underage level to play for the Republic of Ireland, and both really enjoyed doing so.
'In Declan Rice's case, I actually capped him three times'
"Jack came to my attention during my tenure, in the early stages as my time as the national team manager, and I went to see him and his father. It really was straightforward; the choice was there for him. He knew that the minute he played a minute of international football of standing - in other words, a qualification game, of some sort... a meaningful, senior game - that would tie him down to Ireland.
12 November 2020; Declan Rice, right, and Jack Grealish of England during the International Friendly match between England and Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
"But it was always Jack's - and particularly his father's - choice that England was going to be the route he'd go down. I don't think that Jack, or his family, have regretted that decision. Yes, you might say Jack would have had a lot more caps for the Republic of Ireland, but would he have enjoyed similar levels of success at international level? Quite obviously, the records will tell you that, no, he wouldn't have.
"In Declan Rice's case, I actually capped him three times, at senior level - and he was only a young lad. I capped him because I felt he was good enough to play for the Republic of Ireland, even at that age. Again, there was a dilemma there, because he'd played for Ireland at an underage level.
"But once I'd put him into the senior side, his agent had got in touch with Gareth Southgate. I wouldn't have even been totally sure that Gareth would have known a great deal about Declan at the time, because he was still trying to break into West Ham's first-team.
"He'd been left out of West Ham's team at the beginning of that season, and I remember telling him at the time that the manager wouldn't know the strengths and weaknesses of his team until he'd had a bit of time with the club. I told him to just be patient, and assured him he'd break into that side.
"In one of the games he played for me, one of the friendlies, he was terrific - I can still remember one moment where he played an exquisite pass through, and you could just see the hallmarks of a player that was going places. He had the fitness levels as well; he had all of the attributes.
12 November 2020; Jeff Hendrick of Republic of Ireland in action against Jack Grealish of England during the International Friendly match between England and Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Photo by Matt Impey/Sportsfile
"But the bottom line was this: I was not going to coerce or deceive him into playing a senior qualification game for the Republic of Ireland for a number of reasons. One, I just wouldn't have done it. Two, he, his father and his agent knew the rules anyway, and they decided to go to England. Has he regretted that decision? I don't think so.
"I would have hoped that both of them would have gone on to play for the Republic of Ireland, of course. But the decision was not down to me; it never was going to be down to me. It was down to the players, their families, and their agents. And, eventually, if England come calling and give you a chance, then obviously you're going to take it.
"Commercially speaking, as much as anything else, you know, you have to look at all of these things. I ask you this; if you were a brother, or an older relative of either of those two boys, what would you be advising them to do? I think you'd be telling them to have a wee think about things.
"It seems to be quite a stick to beat me with, which I never felt was right. I think one Irish journalist once asked me 'did you not feel as if you could've almost sneaked them on in a qualification game, just to nail them down?' It's just nonsense."
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