Irish players are conveniently dropping like flies ahead of the friendly with Wales next week and after Paddy Madden’s call-up to the standby list, we look at five players who might be called up for duty if this alarming drop-out rate continues.
Aiden McGeady today became the latest player to drop out of next week’s clash with Wales in Cardiff, following in the footsteps of Anthony Pilkington, David Forde, Stephen Quinn and Simon Cox, withdrawals that have left Trap pretty short on numbers ahead of the last game before three absolutely crucial World Cup qualifiers in September and October.
The possibility of more players pulling out as a result of conveniently picked up injury before next Wednesday can’t be ruled out and in the event that such a situation comes to pass, we look at five players who might be summoned from the international wilderness to don a green jersey next week.
Shay Given
Arguably Ireland’s greatest ever goalkeeper, Shay retired following Ireland’s disastrous Euro 2012 campaign in order to prolong his club career, only to subsequently lose his place in goal at Aston Villa to Brad Guzan, who went on to distinguish himself between the sticks for the Villains last season.
Given doesn’t appear to have much of a future with Villa and has been linked with a loan move to Doncaster of late and although he hasn’t officially come out of retirement, we reckon he might be tempted to come back if Trap gave him a call considering the absence of first choice David Forde for the forseeable future.
The likelihood of such a scenario materialising is slim, but we wouldn’t completely rule it out either.
Owen Garvan
James McClean’s move to Wigan means that the number of Irish representatives in the Premier League has been reduced even further but one man who will be strutting his stuff in the top flight next season is Dubliner Owen Garvan, who played a big role in Crystal Palace’s promotion campaign last season and signed a two-year contract extension during the summer.
At 25, Garvan should be coming into his prime and he possesses the type of creative skills that the Irish team are in need of but don’t figure too highly on Giovanni Trapattoni’s priority list. Garvan has struggled with a knee inury in recent weeks but expects to be fit in time for the new season and should be given a chance on the international stage if he can excel on the biggest stage in the coming weeks and months.
Lukas Jutkiewicz
The Middlesbrough striker sounds about as Irish as Tony Cascarino but his Irish credentials are actually more solid than those of Big Cas due to his Irish grandmother, although he is eligible to play for England and Poland as well.
Jutkiewicz scored against Accrington Stanley (Who are they?) earlier this week and has a decent strike rate on Teeside since joining from Coventry, while he has played for Everton and Motherwell (where he scored one of the most dramatic goals in recent Scottish football history… see below) in the past.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byK2oBB_ucQ
Jutkiewicz has also marked his goals with a John Cena style celebration in the past (though he denies it is anything to do with John Cena) and while his name would struggle to fit on the back of a green jersey, he could be worth a punt in the future.
Noel Hunt
The younger Hunt is no stranger to the Irish jersey, but he hasn’t got to wear one since the meeting with Montenegro in 2009, a game which came not long after his appearance against Italy in Bari where he and Robbie Keane argued over who scored the goal that earned Ireland a more than credible draw on the night.
Like James McClean and James McCarthy, Hunt will play his football in the Championship as opposed to the Premier League next season but he has bags of experience at the top level and looks set to be a key figure in a side which will have big aspirations of getting back to the big time under Brian McDermott this season.
Sean Scannell
A member of Giovanni Trapattoni’s first ever squad way back in 2008 but ain’t been lately, or more accurately, at all in an Irish jersey since, despite an impressive pedigree at under-age level for Ireland at all levels right up to under-21.
Scanell joined newly promoted Huddersfield from Crystal Palace in time for the start of the last season and made over 30 appearances for the Terriers as they finished and maintained their position in the second tier. A winger with exceptional pace and who can be pretty exciting when the mood takes him, Scannell hasn’t really been close to the Irish set-up in recent seasons but at 22 he has plenty of time on his side.
