BURKE OF THE JOB
Graham form to catch Kenny’s eye
GRAHAM BURKE will be banging on the door for Republic of Ireland inclusion all year long.
That’s the view of Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley, who saw his star turn score an outrageous goal of the season contender in Derry.
In Tuesday’s 2-0 win, Burke collected the ball midway inside his own half six minutes before the break.
He raced to halfway and, spotting Nathan Gartside on the edge of his box, unleashed a heat seeking missile that left the Derry keeper stranded.
Burke has been capped twice for Ireland under Martin O’neill against France and the USA, scoring in that friendly win over the Americans.
He was a late call-up by Stephen Kenny (above, watching Rovers this year) for November’s Nations League draw with Bulgaria in Dublin.
“He’s one of the players in the league who will be knocking on the international door all year,” said
Bradley. “He’s a top player and we saw that the year he went away to Preston, I think he was on 15 goals and he has it in him to go on a streak.”
Burke proved an instant hit when he joined the Hoops in 2017 after spells with Aston Villa and Notts County.
He then moved to Preston but struggled for game time and was loaned to Gillingham and back to Shamrock Rovers midway through 2019.
The Dubliner recently agreed a three-year pre-contract to join the Hoops permanently when his Preston contract expires this summer.
But Bradley insists it is too simplistic to say that England just didn’t work out for Burke after two spells away.
He said: “It’s easy to say that he’s found his level but Graham had so many options to stay in England.
“But he has been there as a young boy, he knows what it’s about and he doesn’t want it, to be playing in lower leagues and just going through the motions. He wants to be in a team that competes and wins things.”