Martin O’Neill admits he would be foolish not to think about taking Jack Byrne to France if he impresses whilst training with the squad.
The Republic of Ireland boss has invited the Manchester City youngster to train with the senior international team next week.
What has impressed O’Neill most about the 19-year-old is his decision to join Dutch side Cambuur on loan, rather than sit in the City academy. The Derry man believes that too many players nowadays stand still in underage set-ups until the clubs find younger, better talent to replace them, and he thinks that Byrne is reaping the rewards of regular football.
“I think he felt going out on loan – I haven’t spoken to him about this at all – but I think he felt, ‘What use is this academy to me? Better me going out and playing for a first team and for a cause the game being important.’ That’s what I applaud more than anything else,” O’Neill told the Sunday Independent.
The Irish manager reckons that some players no longer grasp the concept of what it takes to make it as a professional in England and that he has absolutely no problem with men choosing to come through the League of Ireland now instead.
“They are mollycoddled,” O’Neill said of academy players. “In my time in the game, if you were 20 years of age and weren’t playing first division football reasonably regularly, you’d have to really consider if this was the career for you.
“It won’t take you too long before you waken up to reality. If some young kid is going over at 16, there must be a great deal of excitement and I wouldn’t do anything to prevent that. But I think he should be given some indication about what he has to do to become a professional footballer.
“You’re in an academy for three years and you immediately start to think, ‘I’m OK.’ What happens is that next year three of the 17-year-olds are better than you. Next thing, you’re passed out of it.
“If you tell me the alternative of staying here and playing League of Ireland football is the answer, I don’t mind that all. I think the whole essence of academies has to be looked into.”
O’Neill hasn’t ruled out any late runs of Irish men to make his squad for Euro 2016. If a player impresses him, he will be considered. It is not about a squad dynamic or loyalty. The manager is willing to make the tough calls and tell the experienced players or the longer-serving ones that they’re not part of his plans.
He wants the best footballers coming with him. Nothing else.
“I don’t think I would want to fill my squad up with players who are good around the hotel,” he told the Sunday Independent. “As Iniesta goes past someone, I won’t be saying: ‘Actually, he’s very good around the hotel. He gets the drinks for everybody.'”
