Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , former Newcastle, Derby and Ireland midfielder Jeff Hendrick has given his thoughts on both the domestic and international game.
Hendrick has discussed Alexander Isak’s blockbuster transfer to Liverpool and explained why Eddie Howe would reject the chance to manage Manchester United.
The ex-Ireland international has also detailed how James McClean wanted him to join Wrexham and told Sean Dyche to turn down the chance to take the Rangers job.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall For Ireland?
I think first you've got to wait and see if the player wants to make the switch. Is he hungry to go and play for Ireland? A lot of lads who are maybe born in England and come and play for Ireland, it might be their parents or grandparents, but they have that connection with the country. You need to know if he has that connection and the hunger to come and play.
You don't really want them to just come in and think, ‘I'll get a couple of caps for Ireland,’ because he would obviously improve the squad and the team. He'd be in the starting team 100%, he's a fantastic player.
Seeing him at Leicester coming through the ranks and breaking into the team, I thought he was maybe a six/eight, but he ended up being a number 10 at times, and he was coming up with goals and assists.
I think he's a really good player, and it always looks a little bit better when you're left-footed as well at times, because they're not as common, I suppose. But I think the main thing would be, if he wants to come and deal with it, of course, the country would accept him, and we know he'd be a great asset for the country.
Roy Keane
Roy Keane To Manage Ireland?
I'd imagine people would be looking at the current run of form and thinking, Roy Keane would ruffle a lot of feathers, I suppose. He wouldn't be happy with those performances. He was my coach for Ireland for a good few years, and we had great success. I'm a real fan of Roy. I'm lucky I got on well with him; he seemed to have taken a shine to me.
I just liked hearing him, hearing what he had to say, whether it was football. Before games, sometimes they were tough games away, like Serbia away, a tough place to go. I was still young, and he perhaps felt like the pressure's on the lads here. He actually brought a calmness to the dressing room where he just talked normally; it wasn't too much about football.
But then there were other times where you'd be able to pick his brains, and he'd actually critique my game, especially being a midfielder. That's amazing to have someone like Roy Keane, one of the Premier League's all-time greats, to be able to do that.
So I think if he were to go anywhere, if he were to go into Ireland, it'd be amazing for the players because he knows the game so well. He's watching nearly every game at this rate.
He's been there, he's done it, so of course, it would be amazing. And like I said, him in the Ireland set-up when we were there was great. I liked the way he and Martin O’Neill worked.
It wasn't all about the group, but they just treated us like men. They simplified it; they didn't bombard us with information. That trust was there as well, which I think is possibly going out of the game a little bit.
I think when you look at players, they're getting told ‘this is the opposition, this is what we're going to do from a corner, a throw-in, a goal kick, we're going to swing from this formation to that.
Whereas when Martin and Roy were there, it was ‘this is our formation, we're going to be solid and go and play.’ Then, when we had the ball, they did trust you and gave you that freedom within the formation we were in to go and play.
John O'Shea
Could John O’Shea Manage Ireland?
I know John O’Shea wasn't the interim manager for long, but he seemed to have applied for the permanent role as well. For him not to get it and then stay on as an assistant, it does raise a question.
If it doesn't work out now, would he get it in the future? I don't think he'd get it straight away. He'd probably have to go off and take a club role and prove himself first before coming back for the Ireland job.
Damien Duff
Damien Duff
Damien Duff is an Irish and Premier League legend who has had a fantastic career and done amazing things at Shelbourne. However, the step from Shelbourne to the Premier League is massive, and I personally couldn't see that happening for him.
Perhaps the Championship would be a more suitable step. Damien is the type of person who would want a role to suit him.
Looking at some of his quotes when he left, he started to question players. Clubs see everything now and would likely be thinking, ‘I don't know if that suits us. If it's not going right, will he just attack the players in the media?
“This also doesn't sit well with players. I can't see him going to the Premier League. Would he go back to Celtic? I don't know if he'd get the manager's job, and I'm unsure if he wants to be a coach. So, he might have to wait his time a little bit.
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