THERE’S NO

Preston striker Maguire insists he can be a success with Ireland under new boss Kenny despite suffering a short and frustrating spell alongside him at Oriel Park

SEAN MAGUIRE once claimed he didn’t get a fair crack of the whip during his brief spell under Stephen Kenny at Dundalk.

But the Preston North End striker is hoping to play a more prominent role for him with Ireland.

Maguire appears to be in Kenny’s plans ahead of the anticipated return of international matches later this year.

The Kilkenny man, 26, revealed yesterday that the new Republic of Ireland boss has kept in regular contact with him during the

Covid-19 lockdown.

Kenny (right) brought

Maguire to Dundalk on a free transfer midway through the 2015 season following his release from West

Ham United that summer.

But it didn’t go according to plan and Maguire – behind David Mcmillan, Ciaran Kilduff and Kurtis Byrne in the pecking order – started just one league game.

And he knew it was time to move when he was left out of the FAI Cup final squad against Cork City, the club he joined soon after and thrived at.

In 2016, Maguire said: “I don’t think I got a fair crack of the whip at Dundalk but, at the same time, I could have no complaints really because the boys were doing so well.”

Another time, he said of his Oriel Park stay: “There were stages at Dundalk where my head wasn’t in the right place but I had good people around me to make it right.

“My parents played a big part in keeping me focused and not letting my head go. There were stages where I just wanted to give up football because I’d lost interest.”

But Maguire told Mirror Sport last year: “What happened with me and

Stephen at Dundalk is in the past and in the future I really look forward to working with him.”

The move to Cork City revived him and Maguire became the League of Ireland’s most lethal marksman before joining Preston in the English Championship and gaining international recognition.

He has seven senior caps and one goal – against New Zealand – since making his debut under Martin O’neill against Moldova in late 2017.

But he will be the first to admit that his international career has been stop-start and there is an irony in hoping to ignite it under Kenny.

Maguire insists he is relishing another link-up with the new boss and said: “I worked under Stephen before and he was a great manager. “He brought Dundalk from being a mid-table League of Ireland side to winning titles and getting into the Europa League group stages.

“He’s one of the most successful managers in League of Ireland history and I’m looking forward to being involved and working under him again.

“I spoke to him a couple of times in the last few weeks and it’s going to be a busy time over the next few years with the play-offs, World Cup qualifiers and Nations League.”

Maguire told PNE TV: “It was great to work with Mick Mccarthy as well.

“I remember when he was in charge of Ireland the first time around. I looked up to him and to play under him was unbelievable so I wish him all the best.

“These last six weeks in lockdown have made me realise how much I want to succeed for club and country.”

After a punishing Championship schedule – that still has nine games to go – and international campaign, Maguire welcomed the initial break amid the

Covid-19 crisis.

But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, he is no different to anyone else longing for a return to normality.

“It’s not that you take things for granted but you’ve been doing it so long, you should be blessed waking up in the morning getting paid to do the thing you love,” he said.

“Millions of lads would love to be playing football for a living.

“The last six and seven weeks have given me that extra bit of motivation to succeed as an individual and as a team.

“It’s been tough and you do miss it. The first couple of weeks are sound. You’re glad you’re getting a bit of a break. But now you’re sitting down a lot, playing Xbox, watching TV series and on Zoom calls with friends and family back home.

“Mentally it’s tough because you’ve been playing football every day since you were 16 or 17 and I’m sure I’m speaking for every footballer out there.

“But now I just want to get back out there. It’s within touching distance, as long as everyone sticks to the guidelines.

“People are missing sport in general, not just football.

Turning the

TV on at night is a bit boring a s there’s only so m u c h you can watch on

Netflix.

“And any time you turn on the news it’s full of bad news. Hopefully football can resume safely and we get back to a sense of normality.”