Séamus Coleman Eyes Future with Republic of Ireland

Séamus Coleman has told Heimir Hallgrimsson he still sees a future with the Republic of Ireland – just not this month.

Ireland’s long‑serving right-back, now without a club after leaving Everton at the end of last season, ruled himself out of the upcoming Nations League window, with Hallgrimsson revealing Coleman felt it would be “unfair” to take a place while unattached.

Coleman, who turns 38 next month, ended a 17-year association with Everton in May and has yet to sign for a new side, a situation mirrored by international team-mate Robbie Brady. The Donegal defender has been working alone to stay fit, something he discussed on the Stick To Football podcast earlier in September, but he has not trained with a squad since leaving Goodison Park.

So when Ireland’s squad for the opening four UEFA Nations League fixtures dropped on Thursday, his omission stood out. Hallgrimsson moved quickly to stress this is a pause, not a farewell.

“My intention, in whatever shape or form that will be, he will be with us in the future, hopefully as a player,” the Ireland manager said at his press conference. “His intention is to play, he is keeping fit but he hasn't been training with a club or with a team.

“We felt, together, it was more his decision that it was appropriate he would sit out this one. Mostly because he felt it was unfair to other players that he would be picked at this moment.”

Injuries bite but November hope for Ferguson and Cullen

If Coleman’s absence is self‑imposed, Nathan Collins’ is not. The captain was always expected to miss this window after suffering a calf injury for Brentford earlier in the month. Hallgrimsson, though, expects the defender to be back in club colours once the international break is over.

There was a more significant update on two longer-term casualties. Evan Ferguson and Josh Cullen have not pulled on an Ireland shirt since November 2025 – Ferguson sidelined by ankle problems, Cullen by a cruciate knee ligament injury. Both are edging back.

“They will probably start training on the grass with (their club teams) after the FIFA window sometime. So maybe next camp is their time,” Hallgrimsson said, hinting at a potential November return that would change the complexion of his midfield and attack.

Bosun Lawal, meanwhile, is in the squad despite carrying an injury. The versatile Stoke City man, capped once at senior level, is there for exposure rather than minutes.

“He is injured at the moment, but we still rate him that highly,” Hallgrimsson explained. “We still want him in the camp, being with us and around us. I don't expect him to play much.

“But we are in collaboration with Stoke City, just to see how much he can do and will load him and hopefully he can take some part in the end of this camp. But we rate him that highly that we think it is necessary for him to be around the squad.”

Kosovo, Israel and an uneasy agreement

Ireland open their Nations League campaign away to Kosovo in Pristina next Thursday. Then comes the most sensitive stretch of the window: back‑to‑back games against Israel, both shifted to neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia.

The fixtures have drawn criticism and unease, and Hallgrimsson chose to address the issue directly with his players. Not with a speech, but one by one.

“I have spoken to all of them individually on that, because you shouldn't be doing this (in) a group talk,” he said.

“And obviously we have different opinions, different strength of opinion. I think it's best to say, without going into individual (situations), none of us feel comfortable playing these games.

“But once we have decided to play them, we all stick together and play as one, and we want to represent Ireland with the best games and performances that we can.

“So that's just the agreement between all of us. But obviously, we don't have to all share the same opinion, and that's just human nature.”

Riding a “positive spiral” into a new Nations League

All of this comes against a backdrop of change in the competition itself. UEFA has trimmed the Nations League from four tiers to three, removing the threat of automatic relegation from League B to League C.

That safety net does not dull Hallgrimsson’s edge. If anything, it sharpens the focus on performance.

“(There are) lots of reasons why we want to do really well in these Nations League matches,” he said. “Again, the importance of this moment, these games, we are on a good run, we are on a positive spiral, we (would) like to keep that going, (and) have not lost in the last seven matches. Long may that continue.

“We are conceding less goals and all the metrics that we are using to kind of look at how our performance is improving.”

Seven games unbeaten, a defence tightening up, key players inching back towards fitness – and the captain-in-waiting, Coleman, insisting he is not done yet.

If Ireland can carry that “positive spiral” through Kosovo and those fraught neutral nights against Israel, the question will not be whether Coleman returns, but what kind of team he walks back into.