Damien Duff gets Ireland manager job verdict as 'offers could have been coming'
Shane Long admits he'd love to see Damien Duff managing the Ireland national team as he showered praise on his former team-mate's coaching career.
The 46-year-old has been the manager of League of Ireland outfit Shelbourne FC since 2021 and led the club to their first league title for 18 years last season.
Bringing silverware back to Shelbourne while seeing the club compete in the qualification rounds of the Champions League has brought attention onto the ex-Chelsea star and the upward trajectory of his managerial career.
Long – who spent five years as Duff's international team-mate – admitted he hasn't been surprised with the success Duff and fellow Irishman Robbie Keane have enjoyed in management, with the latter in charge of Ferencvaros.
"I knew there was a problem at the end of my career when I didn't know any of the players I was playing against, but I knew their coaches and managers - that was showing me how old I was getting," he exclusively told Ladbrokes.
"But when you talk about the likes of Damien Duff and Robbie Keane, these are the kind of guys who don't surprise me at all with the fact they've gone into management.
"I'm delighted for Duffer with how well things are going - when he was coaching with Ireland, you could just see how much he loved it, and how much effort he put into it. You could just tell he was going to go on to good things. I think they'll do well to keep hold of him in Ireland, you know."
Long suggested that Duff's success with Shelbourne may have seen him field job offers but a desire to remain close to his family has resulted in his four-year stay at the club so far. "He's infectious when you meet him, as well," the ex-Southampton striker said.
"With Duffer, I think he maybe could have had offers coming in, but he really wanted to progress the game in Ireland, and I know he really wanted to live back home there with his family and, yeah, just grow the league there, and I think he's done that.
"It's not easier for them, but they come in immediately with respect from their players, because of the careers they've had - people will definitely be watching them a bit more.
"I wouldn't say it's a case of Duff and Keane training themselves up for bigger jobs, but they're definitely learning a lot as managers right now. I hope the pair of them keep doing what they're doing, because it'd be nice to see one of them managing Ireland one day."
Despite Long's belief that either Duff or Keane could manage the national team – who have been in the hands of Former Iceland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson since July 2024 – the ex-Blackburn winger has certainly made his thoughts clear on the potential of that happening, with Duff admitting the role would "drive me insane".
"I had the eight or nine months with Stephen [Kenny]," he said on the Episode podcast with Richie Sadlier last year. "You are in an office every day, just pottering around. There is nothing better than going in and being with the players – our players. It's special, you are building bonds every day.
"What do international managers and coaches do? They might fly over and meet the player at the training ground... are you really building a bond? You build bonds on Friday nights, Monday nights here in Ireland. In England, Saturday afternoons. It doesn't interest me whatsoever because I'm learning too much at the moment."
Ireland are next in action on June 6 when they welcome Senegal to the Aviva Stadium, before another friendly away to Luxembourg awaits four days later. World Cup qualifiers don't return until September, with Hungary and Armenia awaiting then.
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