Séamus Coleman Steps Aside for Ireland's Nations League Matches
Séamus Coleman has told Heimir Hallgrimsson he wants to keep playing for the Republic of Ireland – but the veteran defender has stepped aside for the upcoming Nations League games because he feels it would be “unfair” to take a place while still without a club.
The former Everton captain’s 17-year stay at Goodison Park ended in the summer, and, with his 38th birthday looming next month, he remains unattached. He has been training alone since leaving Merseyside, a situation mirrored by Ireland team-mate Robbie Brady.
Coleman’s absence from the squad named on Thursday for the opening four UEFA Nations League fixtures was impossible to miss. It was not, though, the start of a farewell.
“My intention, in whatever shape or form that will be, he will be with us in the future, hopefully as a player,” Hallgrimsson said at a press conference, stressing that both Coleman and Brady are actively seeking new clubs. “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
Captain Nathan Collins misses out as expected after sustaining a calf injury for Brentford earlier this month. Hallgrimsson expects the defender to be back in Premier League action once the international window closes.
The more intriguing news lies a little further down the road. Evan Ferguson and Josh Cullen, both long-term absentees, are edging closer to a return that could reshape Ireland’s options by November.
The pair have not played for Ireland since November 2025, Ferguson sidelined by ankle trouble and Cullen by a cruciate knee ligament injury. Hallgrimsson suggested the next window may finally bring their comeback.
“They will probably start training on the grass with (their club teams) after the FIFA window sometime. So maybe next camp is their time,” he said.
There was also a call-up for versatile Stoke City man Bosun Lawal, who already has one senior cap. He will be in camp but not heavily involved on the pitch.
“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 uncomfortable reality
Ireland open their Nations League campaign away to Kosovo in Pristina next Thursday. After that, the schedule turns political as much as sporting.
The second group match is the first of two controversial fixtures against Israel, both moved to neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia. Hallgrimsson has already gone player by player to discuss how they feel about taking part.
“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.”
Momentum to protect in a changing Nations League
Behind the scenes, UEFA has reshaped the Nations League, trimming the competition from four tiers to three. Sides in League B, where Ireland sit, no longer face automatic relegation to League C.
That safety net does not soften Hallgrimsson’s stance. He sees a team on a roll and wants no easing off.
“(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.”
Coleman, for now, will watch that run from the outside, training alone and waiting for the right club. The question is simple: when the Nations League rolls into its decisive stages, will Ireland’s long-time leader be back in the thick of it, or will this selfless decision mark the start of the end?
