Five players who could earn an Ireland recall from McCarthy
BY James Cox
We're now just a couple of months away from the beginning of Mick McCarthy's second spell as Ireland manager.
McCarthy is waiting on Declan Rice to decide on his international future while he's also trying to convince Patrick Bamford and Nathan Redmond to switch allegiances.
However, they're not the only options McCarthy will be looking at to extend his pool of players.
He could also recall players that were previously out in the cold under Martin O'Neill's regime.
Here, we look at five players that McCarthy could recall.
David McGoldrick - Sheffield United
Caps: 6
McCarthy, then-Ipswich Town manager, actually played a big role in convincing McGoldrick to declare for Ireland.
He missed out on the final Euro 2016 squad but won a few caps under O'Neill.
McGoldrick made his competitive debut in the World Cup qualifying victory over Austria but never played under O'Neill again after failing to make the matchday squad for the final qualifier in Wales.
We're short on striking options and his statistics this season are impressive.
McGoldrick has ten goals and three assists in the Championship this term.
Cillian Sheridan - Wellington Phoenix
The former Celtic striker is well travelled and his recent move to New Zealand makes it the sixth country he's played in.
Sheridan is an imposing presence and he's scored 98 goals in 367 appearances, not bad at all.
His last appearance for Ireland was against Argentina in 2011, which is curious given our lack of scorers.
He's also one of the few active Irish players with Champions League experience.
Despite calls for his inclusion, Sheridan has been left out by Irish managers.
We'd really love to see this change under McCarthy.
Aiden McGeady - Sunderland
McGeady hasn't played since the 5-1 World Cup playoff loss to Denmark.
He may be playing in League One but he's definitely in form with six goals and five assists for Sunderland this season.
Daryl Murphy - Nottingham Forest
McCarthy has expressed an interest in getting Daryl Murphy back on board.
The Waterford native is the type of target man that McCarthy often uses.
Darron Gibson - Wigan Athletic
Gibson's career has stalled since his Manchester United days due to injuries and off-the-field issues.
However, his talent is still there and he's got the type of creativity Ireland are crying out for in midfield.
He's made 13 appearances for The Latics this season.
What do you think? Would any of these players be worth a shot? Let us know in the comments.
Tags: Cillian Sheridan, Darron Gibson, FAI Ireland, Mick McCarthy
James Cox
Content Editor at Buzz.ie
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