Keith Andrews believes there is no limit to how far Chiedozie Ogbene can go in club football.
Ogbene made it three goals from six senior international appearances in Ireland's 2-2 draw with Belgium last Saturday, and the Rotherham man also came up with the assist for Alan Browne's late equaliser.
Stephen Kenny's assistant coach has the inside line on Ireland's latest star.
"I think he’s capable of doing anything he wants to do," Andrews said. "We watched him a lot at Rotherham.
"I’ve friends who coach there, known about him for a long time. They use him in a different way, as right wing-back.
"I'm not sure about his contract situation. I’m sure Rotherham will be worried regardless whether they go up or stay in League One, he’s certainly shone."
The table-topping League One club have an option to extend Ogbene's contract beyond this season but the Corkman is sure to have plenty of offers.
"He’s been a breath of fresh air on and off the pitch," said Andrews. "As a human being, he’s a special young man.
"We’re delighted to have him in and to see him flourish."
Andrews admits that on the back of a seven game unbeaten run, the Ireland management are in a different, more positive space to a year ago after the loss of their World Cup qualifier loss to Luxembourg.
Asked how the staff were feeling back then, the Dubliner said: "Not as good as we're feeling now, funnily enough, and they were tough times, there's no doubt about it.
“Football being football, it's always results-dependent and you're always beholden to the powers that be.
"It's not development football, we're in big boys' football here, that's the nature of the business that ultimately if results didn't come, then decisions have to be made.
"We felt we were in a good place even though the results hadn't been good, we were comfortable with what we were putting in place and the results did come."
Speaking on the eve of the friendly clash with Lithuania at the Aviva Stadium, Andrews addressed his stringent defence of Kenny on the airwaves last September.
Explaining his decision to go public, the 41-year-old said: "We're in this together and he's always been the focal point and having to face tough questions when things weren't going particularly well and we were enduring a bit of a tough period.
"During that time, I did feel it was important. It was my idea. I did say it to Stephen, obviously, and if he didn't think it was a good idea, I wouldn't have done that.
"At the time, I was very comfortable where we were and the process that was in place and the building that we were trying to do and re-building we were trying to do with the squad and how we were trying to get the team to play, so that's where it came from.
“Even though the results hadn't been amazing to that point, I did feel we were in a good place and it was coming, I could feel it, I could sense it, you see it every time you go on to the training pitch with the players that we've got, such a humble and ambitious group of players that we have, I just felt that was probably it, it just needed a different voice at the time."
Andrews also addressed his decision to take a step away from his work as a TV, newspaper and radio analyst to focus solely on his role as Kenny's number two.
"I did it quite a while ago," he said. "It's a job that I love, that I have an unbelievable amount of passion for.
"I don't see it as a job, really, and my time was getting taken up in areas that I wasn't as passionate about.
"I'm very, very fortunate to be in this position and have the input that I do have and have that working relationship with Stephen that he allows me to crack on and do what I do, and we work very much as a team and like I said it's something I'm very, very passionate about.
"When I sat down and reflected on things and my time management and how I want to evolve away from what I actually do in here and how I spend time watching our players and doing the normal due diligence, I suppose.
"I want to evolve a little bit more and spend more time to become a better coach, a better assistant and involve myself in that regard rather than having to go to certain games in a different capacity."
Andrews said that Kenny will make some changes for the Lithuania test.
"Tomorrow is very important to continue the confidence that’s become apparent in the players and how they’ve approached games, regardless of the opposition," he remarked.
"It’s all about building. We don’t want to go back - we need to continue to take steps forward as a group in every department.
"Tomorrow is about looking towards the summer. Players will get the opportunity we feel they deserve. We just want to continue the good work.
"That's always the balance with friendlies and look, we're trying to build a squad and we're conscious of potentially having four games in June, but obviously not entirely sure what way that's going to materialise.
"Stephen's always very firm on caps aren't given out. I very much feel that way as well.
"You have to earn them but equally you have to reward players who have been professional around maybe not being selected, not coming into the game and understand that disappointment.
"So yeah, there will be changes but the team hasn't been selected yet."
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