Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says the Republic of Ireland squad will benefit from the appointment of Anthony Barry.
34-year old Barry was confirmed as Damien Duff's replacement on Stephen Kenny's coaching staff last month.
Having bounced around the lower leagues as a player, Barry first made an impact in the coaching world working alongside Paul Cook with Wigan Athletic.
He was named in Frank Lampard's backroom team when the ex-England midfielder was named Chelsea manager in 2019.
Barry was kept on at Stamford Bridge following the appointment of Tuchel in late-January.
"You [Republic of Ireland] can be very happy, you are lucky because he is a top coach Anthony will join you and your coaching staff," the German told a Friday press conference.
"We didn’t know him before. He was already here under Frank [Lampard], like Joe [Edwards] as well.
"Anthony was from the first moment a big part of our coaching team because first of all he is a fantastic guy, a fantastic character, very open, very friendly and he has top quality and analysing games and giving his opinion.
"He is very experienced. I feel him very comfortable on the pitch when he is in charge of exercises. He’s very comfortable in front of the group.
"He is in charge, the specialist, for all set-pieces so he’s doing video sessions, training for set pieces and he is the assistant for any other exercises which is a pleasure to have him around.
"We absolutely don’t want to miss him and so good for you guys. He will increase the level of coaching because he has top quality and is a top guy."
Barry will work with the Ireland squad for the first time ahead of this month's World Cup qualifiers with Serbia and Luxembourg.
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