While Stephen Kenny’s reign as manager of the Irish national team saw the involvement of established players like Darren Randolph, James McCarthy, Robbie Brady, and Shane Long, they are no longer part of the senior international squad. Additionally, Euro 2016 stars James McClean and Jeff Hendrick were dropped from the recent squad, further severing ties to the past. Despite the absence of injured players John Egan and Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy, with 59 caps, was the most experienced player in the team that played against Gibraltar. In fact, seven of the starting XI had less than 20 caps. Jamie McGrath, a 27-year-old player from Aberdeen, believes that older players need to step up and be leaders in the dressing room since they are losing leaders like James McClean and Seamus Coleman. McGrath acknowledges Shane Duffy and Matt Doherty as potential leaders but believes that young players like Jason Knight are also emerging as leaders. McGrath believes that the younger squad will gain experience from the recent setbacks and emphasizes the need to be patient with talented youngsters like 18-year-old Evan Ferguson. McGrath and Ferguson, both League of Ireland graduates, started in the Gibraltar match and McGrath praises Ferguson’s talents and physical abilities. He also addresses his own slow progression in the Irish team and expresses his gratitude towards Stephen Kenny for his faith in him. McGrath had a disrupted summer seeking an exit from Wigan Athletic but eventually landed at Aberdeen, where he feels happy and grateful for the opportunity to play in European competitions. He credits Damien Doyle, the FAI fitness coach, for his support during his contract struggles and expresses his thankfulness for the one-on-one sessions Doyle provided, ultimately contributing to his call-up to the national team.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
