Ireland star sends a heartfelt message to Declan Rice and Jack Grealish before England showdown

Ireland captain Seamus Coleman remains unfazed by the potential jeers that Declan Rice and Jack Grealish may face at the Aviva Stadium tonight.

The Three Lions return to action for the first time since their heartbreaking defeat against Spain in the Euro 2024 final and will be managed by interim boss Lee Carsley following Gareth Southgate’s decision to stand down.

Grealish was controversially omitted from England’s squad in the summer but received an instant recall from Carsley following a bright start to the season with Manchester City.

Rice, meanwhile, is likely to retain his place in a midfield engine room that will be without the injured Jude Bellingham.

Both players are almost certain to be booed by the home fans tonight given they represented Ireland earlier in their careers, only to switch allegiances.

Asked whether they deserve to be jeered, Coleman said: ‘I think that’s a bit of a leading question there for me to give you a headline.

‘They chose who they wanted to represent. I’ve said it for long enough, whatever they feel they are that’s what they chose to be.

‘I know Declan came in and played three games. I can only speak as Declan coming in, a good guy, top player as everyone knows. I just want lads that want to represent Ireland and we’ve got that and they are eager to do well.

‘Those lads have went their own way and what reception they get I don’t know. It’s been a few years now and it’s not a concern to me any more now.’

Coleman, meanwhile, urged his teammates to play with their heads rather than their hearts when they launch their new Nations League campaign.

Clashes between the neighbours from either side of the Irish Sea always have an added edge given the two nations’ shared history and political differences, and the chance to get one over on the old enemy, as Ireland did at Euro ’88, is one generations of Republic players have relished.

However, 35-year-old Everton full-back Coleman knows too much emotion can be counter-productive and has urged his team-mates to be “smart” as they look for another famous victory.

He said: ‘You can most certainly tap into the emotional side of it, but I think that goes, to be honest with you, for any time you put on that green jersey for Ireland and I get those lads into a huddle beforehand.

‘You can tap into the emotional side of it all because it is about the historic game and England our rivals coming over. For us lads, we’re representing our country, unbelievably proud to do so as well.

‘There are some amazing journeys along the way for those lads, myself included, to get to this level. We can tap into the emotional side, of course, it doesn’t matter if that’s England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, it doesn’t matter because you’re playing for your country.

‘Hopefully we can do that in a positive way tomorrow. But we can’t just be gung-ho with emotion, you have to have a smart head as well for sure.’