Robbie Keane’s retirement has opened up a free spot in the Republic of Ireland squad, and the team could do worse than giving Scott Hogan a run out.
The Brentford striker, who’s eligible for Ireland through his grandparents, is one of the in-form Championship strikers in 2016, and scored a hat-trick on Saturday afternoon against Preston North End.
Hogan has 13 goals in 18 games for Brentford and six in nine games this season.
Good form in the Championship doesn’t equate to making an impact at international level. Daryl Murphy was the division’s top scorer in 2014/15 for Ipswich Town, yet only scored his first goal for Ireland earlier this month against Serbia after 23 caps.
However, Ireland need to blood new strikers. Shane Long will be 30 next January, Jon Walters will turn 33 on Tuesday and Murphy will be 35 when the World Cup begins in June 2018.
Hogan is 24, and scoring at a level Ireland select a number of players from. The Salford-born striker revealed earlier this year that there have been queries about his international future.
Don’t be surprised to see Roy Keane or Martin O’Neill take-in a game at Brentford soon enough, where Cork central defender John Egan is also excelling.
Check out our GAA Hour All-Ireland preview special, featuring Jack McCaffrey, Paul Galvin, Colm Cooper, Peter Canavan, Kieran McGeeney, Senan Connell, John O’Leary and Vinnie Murphy. Listen below or subscribe here on iTunes.
