Heimir Hallgrímsson admits he is ‘surprised’ by the level of scrutiny that comes with being Ireland boss

It hasn't been the greatest of starts for the Icelandic manager.

The 57-year-old lost his two opening games in charge of the Irish national team, losing 2-0 to both England and Greece in the Nations League last month.

His side are yet to score a goal under his leadership, and that is a stat he will be hoping to change when his team travel to Finland on Thursday.

Hallgrímsson surprised many when he omitted Matt Doherty and Jake O'Brien from his squad for the upcoming Nations League games against the Finns and the Greeks.

Opting instead for young and unproven talent, he outlined his ambitions for the future of the Republic of Ireland team.

“My job is to get this team to the World Cup in the US in 2026, and given that next year, 2025, if we end up in a group with five nations, all our Fifa windows next year will be official World Cup matches, so this is the only chance to experiment, to give players a chance to show what they can do,” he said.

“That is the reason we opted to go for other players at this stage.”

Speaking during his second round of media appearances in the job earlier this week, Hallgrímsson admitted that the profile of the Ireland managerial job has turned out to be way higher than he had initially anticipated.

"I probably wasn’t ready or aware of how big it is, how much media it is, how much attention it is,’ he said when asked what surprised him most from that first camp," he said.

"I’m not used to it, so I haven’t been in this environment where there is so much attention. I think that probably was the thing that, maybe not shocked me, but surprised me."

When questioned about his lack of attendance at scouting matches, the former Jamaica boss explained why he prefers to avail of the efficiency of technology rather than spending hours travelling across the Europe.

"I like to work smart," he said.

"It’s not about being seen going to matches, it’s about how you spend your time and what’s the most value of your time, and I thought there’s more value for me at this stage to see more players than fewer.

"Then, once I have the total knowledge, if it’s between him and him (two competing players), I will go and see them, having also these good coaches with me that could do that part as well."

Hallgrímsson continued: "I don’t read social media or a lot of media, so I wouldn’t know what Brian Kerr or (Glenn) Whelan are saying.

"I'm not that bothered. I’m focusing on my time and what I think should be done."

Republic of Ireland face Finland on Thursday, before travelling to Greece next Sunday.

Six points from both games are required to close the gap with England and Greece at the top of the group.