BRADY PLACE FEARS

Robbie is in a situation now whereby he finds himself in and out of the team at Turf Moor

ROBBIE BRADY’S fallow spell at Burnley has put his Ireland place under threat, according to Keith Andrews. Life back in the Premier League for Ireland’s reigning Player of the Year (above) since moving to Burnley from Norwich City in January has been less than rosy. Clarets boss Sean Dyche has used his €15m capture sparingly, handing him just seven Premier League starts and as many appearances from the bench. Brady remains Ireland’s go-to man at international level, especially through his set-piece specialities, but Andrews notes the 25-year-old is coming under increasing pressure to retain his spot for the visit of Austria in Sunday week’s World Cup qualifier. “Players go through dips in form,” explained Andrews, who won 35 senior caps from 20082012. “Look at Robbie Brady 12 months ago, it was just a case of where he would play. The only question was whether Stephen Ward or Robbie would be at left-back. He had taken over in that No.10 position and was our star player to a degree. “Now, Robbie is in a situation whereby he’s in and out of the Burnley team. There’s probably a case to be made that players are playing better than Robbie at the moment.” Andrews expects Brady’s versatility to ensure a set position for him in the side is not guaranteed. “I’m a bit torn but I think his best position is probably as a left wing-back, where he’s coming onto the ball,” he reasoned. “At Championship level, Robbie could play wherever he wanted. “But I liked the balance at last summer’s Euros of Jeff Hendrick and Robbie being able to maraud forward from midfield. They got that license while having James Mccarthy minding behind them. “We’ll probably see for years that versatility of Robbie being used depending on who is available.”