Carlo Cudicini joins Republic of Ireland U21s coaching staff
Carlo Cudicini has joined the Republic of Ireland Under-21s coaching staff ahead of their European Championship qualifier against Andorra on Thursday.
The 41-year-old former Chelsea, AC Milan and Tottenham goalkeeper will fill the vacancy left by the retired Alan O'Neill after completing his UEFA B Licence with the Football Association of Ireland.
Italian Cudicini finished his playing career at LA Galaxy alongside Robbie Keane and is currently coaching at QPR's academy.
Manager Noel King said: "Carlo Cudicini is coming in to the do the goalkeepers initially. We'll see how it goes and work together to try and win the game obviously.
"His experience will be a great help to us. It won't be just goalkeeping - we'll include him as we do with all our staff in the preparation. We'll value his views and hopefully that'll add strength to us.
"We're thankful to Alan O'Neill, who has been with us and the Association for a great number of years and has been a great servant. He has to move on due to work commitments, and we'll look forward to a successful time with Carlo."