Seamus Coleman takes training and leadership role in Ireland squad

Seamus Coleman will join the Republic of Ireland camp in a combined training and leadership capacity after manager Heimir Hallgrimsson named his latest 24-player squad. BBC Sport reported that the defender will work with the players during sessions and assist the coaches, but has not been selected for the playing squad for this month's Nations League fixtures against Austria and Kosovo.

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Coleman, 38, has been without a club since departing Everton in the summer and has not played since June. The defender, who has made 81 international appearances, has recently spoken about considering retirement. Hallgrimsson nevertheless said Coleman had indicated that he wanted to play again, and described the arrangement for this camp as a “hybrid role”.

The manager said he hoped participation in training would encourage Coleman to resume playing. He acknowledged that selecting the defender had been tempting, pointing to Coleman's previous performances for Ireland despite limited involvement at Everton. For now, however, the announced role combines work on the training pitch with support for the staff, rather than a place among the 24 players chosen for the matches.

Captain Nathan Collins is back in the squad after a calf injury kept him out of Ireland's first four matches in League B3. There is also a change among the goalkeepers, with Everton's Mark Travers replacing the injured Gavin Bazanu. Travers joins Caoimhín Kelleher and Max O'Leary as the three goalkeepers named by Hallgrimsson, while Collins is included in a nine-player defensive group.

Several other players remain unavailable through injury. Evan Ferguson is absent with an ankle problem, Josh Cullen with a knee injury and Jaden Umah with a thigh issue, according to BBC Sport. Harvey Vale returns after missing the previous matches. Hibernian's Owen Elding will instead join the under-21 squad during this international window.

Ireland will first travel to Linz to play Austria, then complete their Nations League campaign against Kosovo at Aviva Stadium. Hallgrimsson's team are third in League B3, having won one of their past four games. The squad announcement brings Collins back into the playing group while keeping Coleman involved through the separate training and staff-support arrangement.