Chiedozie Ogbene will stay grounded after Republic of Ireland exploits, says Rotherham United boss Paul Warne

That is the verdict of his Rotherham United manager Paul Warne, who has kept Ogbene on the bench for the first two League One games after an international break in which he scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland.

Warne still teases the 24-year-old about the car he drives, citing that as an example of how Ogbene is staying grounded.

Not that he would be welcome back at the New York Stadium if he wasn’t.

“It would have been easy for him to come back with a big head on him, but not here,” said Warne, of a player who now has three caps to his name after declaring his intention to play for the Republic of Ireland in the summer.

“We don’t sign players that have the potential for massive egos, I just can’t tolerate that.

“If he did come back with a big head he wouldn’t even be on the bench.

“He’s definitely not that kid, he’s still rooted, I still tease him about his car.

“He wants to play for his country and his family are rightly proud of him but to play for your country regularly you have to perform at club level and he knows that.”

Ogbene came off the bench earlier than planned in the goalless draw with fellow League One promotion hopefuls Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night.

Ogbene was introduced in the 26th minute and showed flashes of the running-at-defenders style that has caught the attention of the Irish coaching staff.

But that new-found international status will bring greater pressure on the pitch.

“I spoke to him on Monday at training, told him the reason he wasn’t starting tonight, that the game would be a war of attrition for 60 minutes and then he would have been ideal to come on,” said Warne.

“That changed out game plan a little bit, and he’s been excellent since he came back to us.

“But now there’s more pressure on him. Not that they didn’t double up on him in the Championship, but they were definitely doubling up on him on Tuesday night.

“If you’re one of the better players, you’ve got to get used to that.”