Roberto Martinez, listen up.
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill has suggested that without gametime for their clubs, players will struggle to break into his international side.
Speaking to Off The Ball, O’Neill said: “Far be it from me to turn around and tell players, ‘listen, you’ve got to tell clubs what you’re going to do’. That is not the case. I would hate that as a club manager for people coming in and saying to me ‘oh, by the way I want to play because I’ve got an international match to worry about.
“You would be apoplectic with that but that’s not the point. Players do need time on the field. These next few months, certainly after Christmas, in the lead-up to France, players do need to play. I can only choose so many players and fitness does play on your mind.”
Everton duo Darron Gibson and Aiden McGeady are two such players whose international chances have suffered because their club manager has given them little to no playing time with Gibson having only played 19 minutes of Premier League football this season and Aiden McGeady yet to feature for the Toffees.
And the latter came up in O’Neill’s interview with the Ireland boss hinting that he would find it difficult to pick a player who is not getting his game for his club over a player who is.
“Aiden McGeady was a massive part of early proceedings,” O’Neill said. “And we owe an awful lot to Aiden McGeady. His goal against Georgia in Georgia was fantastic. His one that gave us all three points was massive for us at the time and I don’t forget those particular things.
“But players do need time on the field because it is important for fitness and important for confidence and if you’re doing well, the higher up you’re playing in, obviously the more confident you’re going to be coming into a tournament if you get picked.”
