Maguire told to get career going after making cut
MARTIN O’NEILL has acknowledged in-form Sean Maguire has ‘got a bit of something’ about him but warned the Preston North End striker that he still has ‘to get his club career going’ in order to become a regular at international level. Maguire has made the cut for the revised Irish squad for the trip to Turkey today after scoring five goals in four games for Preston since his return from a hamstring injury. Such is the rebuilding work confronting O’Neill, that only eight players who figured in the squad at the finals of Euro 2016, are Turkey-bound today. Of those, Shane Long, just turned 31, is the most senior player with 78 caps. Along with Long, who helped Southampton reach the FA Cup semi-finals yesterday, the other survivors from France are the returning Seamus Coleman, James McClean, Cyrus Christie, Shane Duffy, Ciaran Clark, David Meyler and Jeff Hendrick. Duffy, who has emerged as a pillar of the team in the past two years, was recognised last night for his contribution to the World Cup qualification cause with selection as Ireland’s Senior Player of the Year in 2017. It was a worthy accolade, even if the weather prevented the Brighton defender from making it to Dublin for the televised awards. The presence of eight uncapped players in the squad is an indication of the root and branch review which O’Neill is undertaking, kicking off at a three-day training camp in Antalya before the friendly with Turkey next Friday (5.30pm Irish time). Between retirements, ageing limbs, injuries and the need to cast a wide net, O’Neill views this week as a stepping stone towards the Nations League in the autumn and the Euro 2020 qualification. He is keen to get going after ‘a long few months’ during which he felt ‘wretched’ after that big loss to Denmark. O’Neill has named a revised squad of 25 to travel to Turkey, including Aaron McCarey, the uncapped Ross County goalkeeper. Monaghan native McCarey, 26, earns his call-up after Rob Elliot (back) and Keiren Westwood (ankle) both withdrew yesterday. It leaves Colin Doyle as the only capped goalkeeper in the squad. McCarey joins fellow uncapped players, Kieran O’Hara, Matt Doherty, Declan Rice, Darragh Lenihan, Derrick Williams, Enda Stevens and Scott Hogan in the squad.