SEAMUS Coleman hasn’t been a fixture in Republic of Ireland squads but Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has no doubt about the quality of the Donegal native.
Martinez managed Coleman for three seasons at Everton and when asked to extol his virtues he replied: “How long have you got?”
“In that season, 2013, in my opinion, he was the best right back in the Premier League by a mile,” said Martinez.
“Somebody who has got this incredible capacity to arrive in the final third, to defend one-on-one situations… Enormous capacity. And that leadership, it made him a captain material from the first day. I love him, I love working with him.
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“He was really demanding, somebody that you could see his evolution during the season and I have been very proud of seeing his career.
“To see him still at Everton, still seeing an important part of the club in the Premier League and then now still being in the national camp. I am really looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.”
With Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way, Portugal went through a light training session at their palatial centre of excellence ‘Football City’ in the shadow of the old Estadio Nacional where Celtic’s Lisbon Lions famously won the European Cup in 1967.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez insists statistics show his side are improving
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez(Bradley Collyer/PA)
They are ranked fifth in the world now and will certainly be among the contenders to win the World Cup next summer. Two wins (5-0 in Armenia and 3-2 in Hungary) mean they look certain to top Group F and it will be a huge upset should they fail to beat the Republic of Ireland on Saturday night.
“We cannot underestimate Ireland, it’s a difficult game,” insisted Martinez.
“We expect a good result from Ireland, and that’s what we focus on, because the rest can be dangerous.”