Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HE’S MCCLEAN AS MUSTARD
Keane praises James enthusiasm as he signs up for US trip
ROY KEANE yesterday saluted James Mcclean’s bust-a-gut approach to international football but is puzzled by his stop-start club season.
West Brom winger Mcclean has been the Republic of Ireland’s talisman in this World Cup campaign having weighed in with three important goals.
He turned a sticky night in Moldova on its head last October with a brace and then snatched the vital winner away to Austria a month later.
But since that Vienna clash, Mcclean started just four of 28 club games that he was available for and Keane admits it’s far from ideal.
While most of Martin O’neill’s first-team players have permission to skip next week’s trip to America for Thursday’s friendly against Mexico, Mcclean wants in.
Yesterday, he put up his hand for inclusion and will be part of the 20-man squad, largely made up of fringe players, for the Metlife
Stadium friendly in
New Jersey. Darren Randolph, Shane Duffy, Wes Hoolahan, Richard Keogh and Daryl Murphy are the other more established players in the touring party.
Others like John O’shea, Stephen Ward, Aiden Mcgeady, Glenn Whelan, Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady, Harry Arter and Jon Walters will wait for the Uruguay friendly on Sunday week.
Injuries have already ruled out captain Seamus Coleman, James Mccarthy, Shane Long and Ciaran Clark for both friendlies and the crunch qualifier with Austria on June 11.
Of Mcclean’s enthusiasm to travel, Keane said: “James has not played loads of games over the last month or two.
“He seems to love being involved and feels there’s a benefit to him in going to America. What he doesn’t know yet is he probably won’t get a game over there!”
But asked about his lack of action at the Baggies, Keane said: “Tony Pulis has done a good job there and he’ll pick who he thinks is right.
“In an ideal world we want our lads playing minutes. But we’re only in control of what we’re in control of and that’s when they turn up for us.
“James has never let us down. What goes on at club level, listen, we don’t dip into the clubs’ business. It’s no concern of ours.
“James has matured nicely over the last year or two and has started adding a few important goals to his game. But he still has a long way to go.
“There’s plenty of room for improvement. He’s very passionate about playing for Ireland and very enthusiastic but we also hope that James will improve as a player. And he’ll improve a lot more when he’s playing regularly in the Premiership. He’s probably not quite at that stage yet for one reason or another.”
Keane also believes the American jaunt is a golden opportunity for Murphy to remind O’neill of his worth after an injury disrupted season at promoted Newcastle United.
He saved Ireland’s bacon with a late equaliser in the opening game of this campaign in Serbia but a nagging calf injury has prevented him from kicking on.
That was his first international goal and Keane is urging the 34-year-old to sparkle in America and – with Long injured – press for a start against Austria.
In his six competitive starts under O’neill, Murphy has only been on the losing side once – against France at Euro 2016.
Keane said: “Nine times out of 10 if you ask me about strikers, the first stat you look at is their goals. But I look at his workrate and I think he has done well for Ireland.
“It reflects in the results when he has played. He’s been a big handful.”
But Ireland’s poor return of one goal in their last three games is a concern for Keane going into the Austrian clash.
“You’re just looking for a little bit more creativity to create a few more chances,” he said. “If you keep averaging a goal a game, it’s tough going against good teams.
“But where we are in the group, for a team that has all these concerns, we’re still doing
OK.”