DECLAN RICE AND Harry Arter have plenty in common.

Both are well-regarded Premier League players. Both were born in London. Both grew up in England but came through the Irish underage ranks. And of course, both have made themselves unavailable for Ireland’s upcoming matches with Wales and Poland.

Yet despite these similarities, there was a notable contrast in how Martin O’Neill has spoken about the two individuals over the course of the past week.

In relation to Rice, despite the surprise announcement that he was considering switching international allegiance and held talks with England boss Gareth Southgate, O’Neill was overwhelmingly positive in speaking about the West Ham youngster.

He described the player’s father as “a gentleman,” commended Rice’s performances when he played those three friendlies and praised his attitude and commitment when in camp.

However, O’Neill’s tone when speaking about Arter was totally different. Whereas with Rice, the Ireland boss accentuated the positives, with the Cardiff player, he almost seemed to exaggerate the negatives.

O’Neill suggested that Rice would have been a likely starter against Wales, whereas it wouldn’t necessarily have been the case with Arter.

The Derry native emphasised that while he respected the midfielder’s decision, he didn’t “necessarily agree” with it.

He pointed out that while Arter had an argument with assistant manager Roy Keane, so too did Jon Walters, and the Ipswich forward still was making the trip to Wales.

Whether or not you agree with Arter’s stance — and it is difficult to have a definitive viewpoint without knowing exactly what the argument was about in the first place — there was one particularly strange comment from O’Neill.

“His club appearances have been few and far between just recently,” he said. “His club career has stalled and he wants concentrate on it.”

It was an odd comment to make when you consider that Arter has made three Premier League starts and played every game he has been available for with Cardiff. Rather than stalling, his career appears to have been rejuvenated of late at club level.

Of the seven midfielders available to play for Ireland this evening, only three — Shaun Williams, David Meyler and Jeff Hendrick have started more league games than Arter this season. And while the Cardiff player has completed 90 minutes on three occasions, Meyler and Hendrick have both only done so once in the league. 

Nevertheless, some fans will likely say “good riddance” to Arter anyway. The midfielder has not played long enough or consistently enough for the Boys in Green to warrant many tears being shed.

The on-loan footballer’s one standout performance actually came against Wales in Cardiff during Ireland’s 1-0 victory in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers just under a year ago. Yet that game feels very long ago indeed, with the subsequent 5-1 World Cup play-off defeat by Denmark a crushing blow to morale.

Arter was taken off at half-time on that disastrous night for Irish football, and he was sorely missed, as the Danes ran riot after the break.

The question is whether he will be missed in future. Ireland certainly have other midfielders who don’t appear to be far off his level. Jeff Hendrick, David Meyler, Alan Browne and James McCarthy are all, in most people’s eyes, either better or not much worse than the 28-year-old former Charlton player. But the latter two are injured for tonight’s match, while the likes of Shaun Williams and Conor Hourihane do not have Arter’s experience of playing regularly in the Premier League.

In fact, with Arter now gone, if you exclude defenders, Ireland have just one player (Jeff Hendrick) in tonight’s squad currently playing in the Premier League.

Therefore, the squad depth is not particularly strong as it is, so while Arter is far from the most talented player to have ever worn a green shirt, losing him indefinitely because of an argument with management appears to have exacerbated an already difficult situation.

Over the course of his career, and even at times during his time in charge of Ireland, O’Neill has made a habit of inspiring players to punch above their weight and defy the critics in the process. With everything that has gone on amid the various controversies and the increasingly ramshackle look of this injury-ridden Irish squad, that quality will be needed more than ever at Cardiff City Stadium this evening.

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