Paul Warne says Rotherham United's injury break has lifted the mood without any injuries

Chiedozie Ogbene made history last week by scoring his first goal for the Republic of Ireland, in a 3-0 win over Azerbaijan. His previous appearance for the country was the first by a player of African origin.

Josh Koyade also found the net in the break, for the Republic's under-21 side against Luxembourg.

And they and Northern Ireland's Shane Ferguson have reported back fit to a squad which is in good shape for Saturday's League One visit of Portsmouth.

"They're all OK, we spoke to them yesterday (Wednesday) and they're in training today," commented manager Paul Warne.

"Shane played 90 minutes no injury issues. Cheo got a rapturous applause when he left the pitch, which he won't like! He played 60-odd minutes, JJ played less than half an hour (13 minutes) of his last game.

"They'll all be training today and be involved at the weekend.

"In every international-week team meeting I always joke, 'As you know, I've signed Shane Ferguson just so we can have a weekend off every now and then.'

"It does give you a mental break, which is good, although it means we play Charlton on a Tuesday night but the lads will be pleased to see them all back.

"If they all get through training today, and I've no reason to think they won't, I can think, 'All the boys are back and we've just to prepare for these games.'"

He expects Ogbene in particular to report for training in a good mood.

"For him it's amazing,for his family it's something they can only possibly dream of without being patronising," said Warne. "I'm really pleased for him and really pleased for our club that they're getting recognised.

"It's a disaster for me long-term for obvious reasons but it's great for me at the moment. He's always enthusiastic anyway but he'll come back bouncing coming into the room. He'll be buzzing because it's Smudger (Michael Smith)'s birthday at the weekend so there'll be cakes in.

"At the start of the meeting today I'll put his goal on so he's smiling even more.

"He is a force, there's no disputing that, I'm just pleased he's enjoying his life, that's crucial from my point of view and the way I manage.

"I want him to enjoy his life and his career and I want him to stay injury-free.

"He's gone away, they haven't over-cooked him, he's fresh and he wants to play at the weekend."

Warne was only joking when he talked about the "long-term disaster" of Ogbene impressing on the international stage.

"When we sign players we always think if we can just help them a little bit they're always going to move on," he clarified. "We're not Man City so every club has that but I know with Cheo it's not a secret he's a formidable talent.

"Last season it was a massive blow to have him out for as long as we did because he's our driver, really and if he could have played a whole season in the Championship he could have been very difficult to keep hold of this summer.

"We're fortunate enough to have Cheo maybe for the next couple of years but as always if someone keeps knocking with a really good offer, he moves on.

"I always think if people are interested in your players it means they're performing at a level which helps you win football games, I don't see any negative at all with Cheo scoring hat-tricks for Ireland.

"Players play better, learn better when they're happy, when they're comfortable."