Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Hendrick’s mind was elsewhere
MARTIN O’NEILL suspects Jeff Hendrick’s court case impacted on his form.
But the Republic of Ireland boss wants him and Burnley team-mate Robbie Brady to ‘throw off the shackles and go play again’.
The pair were Ireland’s Euro 2016 heroes last summer after stirring displays in France.
But last season they suffered a dip in form for club and country and struggled to match those dizzy heights.
Hendrick was found not guilty of violent disorder a fortnight ago but O’neill feels the case must have weighed on his mind.
O’neill said: “Now that it’s over and you can mention it, it may well have because you don’t want these things hanging around you.
“But it’s good that it has been cleared and he can get his mind totally fixed now and get ready.
“His form in the Euros was fantastic but sometimes at club level it can go by the wayside when you’re trying to make an impact.
“It’s the same with Robbie, too, who was moving from Norwich to Burnley.”
O’neill is urging Hendrick to become more of a goal threat for Ireland and Burnley and said: “Jeff can play across the middle of behind the striker.
“He should score more goals and he has the ability to do that. At club level if you have a midfielder who scores 10-12 goals from normal play, you have yourself a proper player.
“He should aim for that. In terms of kicking on from the Euros, it’s been stop start and he should throw off the shackles and go play again.”