Republic of Ireland assistant coach O'Shea: Brighton striker Ferguson is in top condition ahead of England match

O'Shea is confident that Ferguson can play an entire 90 minutes if needed, despite lingering injury issues.

“Evan will be ready for Saturday,” said O’Shea. “He’s had a couple of sessions with us and will have a full one again. He’s not been back long and he’s been out for a few months but he’s young enough and he’s ready.

“He’s shown he’s nice and sharp in training. We’re also realistic to know that he’s just back in from a couple of weeks of training. We’ve to get the balance right. He’s been sharp in training and hopefully that continues over the next couple of days. We’ll make a decision later on in the week.

“When a player comes to be selected for the national team they are available for the games. Whether it’s 180 minutes or zero minutes, whatever the manager decides.

“There are always conversations going on in the background, whether it’s medical teams etc, and different people. It’s always a case of when a player becomes available and is selected for a team then you’re in control, you have to take care of that player and be responsible for that.”