Coleman made his debut in February 2011 and is the longest-serving player for the Irish national team.

With Heimir Hallgrimsson now the new manager, Coleman is likely to play under his fifth manager at international level, having previously played under Giovanni Trapattoni, Martin O’Neill, Mick McCarthy and Stephen Kenny.

Coleman is one of only two Irish players to have ever played in a tournament, having been selected for Euro 2016 alongside Robbie Brady.

And he stressed that the team’s younger players should aim to reach the final of a tournament, as the country’s last appearance at the World Cup dates back to 2002.

“That’s the ultimate goal as an international,” said Coleman, who has been captain of the Irish side since 2016.

“It’s all well and good collecting caps, but when all is said and done and you put your feet up in retirement, you’ll look back on the memories of France in 2016.

“That’s what this group, the younger guys, should be aiming for now: the big tournaments, because that’s what you do it for and that’s where we want to be.”

He added: “We have to understand why we are here. It’s not to collect caps, it’s to make the country proud and the fans are crying out for tournaments.

“When you sit at home and watch them in the summer, you want to be there and the fans deserve to be there.

“Maybe we need to sharpen our mentality and make sure that qualifying comes first.”