A fundamental figure under Giovanni Trapattoni, missing just one competitive fixture during the Italian's time as Republic of Ireland manager, Glenn Whelan is a do-it-all midfielder who strikes powerfully from distance. He has spent the past four seasons in the English Premier League with Stoke City FC.

• Joined Manchester City FC at 17 but made just one senior appearance for the club − as a substitute in a UEFA Cup qualifier against Welsh club Total Network Solutions FC − before an encouraging loan spell at Bury FC earned him a permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday FC.

• Won promotion with Wednesday at the first attempt, scoring in the League One play-off final against Hartlepool United FC, and went on to prove his worth in the Championship, making 106 appearances for the Yorkshire club in that division before moving to Stoke in January 2008.

• As at Wednesday, he achieved immediate promotion with Stoke, this time to the Premier League, and was further rewarded when handed his first cap for Ireland in a May 2008 friendly against Serbia.

• Helped Stoke establish themselves as a mid-table Premier League outfit over next three seasons and also played in the club's 2011 FA Cup final defeat by former club Manchester City at Wembley; made his full European debut in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League, helping Stoke become the only team of the competition's original four English entries to reach the knockout phase

• Having scored in his first competitive international for Ireland, a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Georgia, he started 11 matches in that campaign and all 12 in the successful UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying series.