AFTER HE SCORED the decisive goal for Swansea City against promotion-chasing Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, Michael Obafemi was among the talking points on the latest episode of The Football Family – your weekly Irish football podcast.
Following his summer transfer from Southampton, Obafemi had a rocky start to life at Swansea, with manager Russell Martin omitting him from his squad due to some minor off-the-field disciplinary issues.
However, Martin didn’t lose faith and he was rewarded with a winning goal from the 21-year-old against a Blackburn side who occupy second place in the Championship.
Obafemi makes his third consecutive start for his club in this evening’s clash with Stoke City, so could a return to the Ireland senior squad soon be on the cards?
The striker hasn’t been capped since making his debut under Martin O’Neill against Denmark in November 2018, but The42‘s Gavin Cooney reckons current boss Stephen Kenny will need more convincing before issuing him with a call-up.
“I’d say he has miles to go,” he said of Obafemi’s international prospects on today’s podcast, which is now available to members. “I’d be very surprised to see him in [for next month's friendlies against Belgium and Lithuania].
“He just needs to play games. His first 90 minutes for Swansea earlier this season was the first time he played 90 minutes at senior level in three years.
“That’s obviously influenced by the hamstring injuries, some of which were fairly serious. There did seem to be a suggestion from Southampton that Obafemi could’ve worked harder or been more professional in order to avoid or lessen the severity of those hamstring injuries.”
David Sneyd added: “It’s just about getting into that rhythm of playing games and just learning on the job. He’s in a bit of form now and the hope is that he can sustain it and improve.”
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