STEPHEN KENNY BELIEVES Jamie McGrath can still be a big-game player for Ireland and hopes his loan move to Dundee United can kick-start his career.
The 25-year-old endured a disastrous spell at Wigan Athletic after joining from St Mirren in January, his lack of game time following the transfer seeing him lose his place in the international squad for the two windows in March and June.
McGrath’s club form in Scotland prior to that saw him earn a call-up during the World Cup qualifying campaign and he made an impressive full debut away to Portugal in Faro.
It was his corner kick which Ireland took the lead from, courtesy of a John Egan header, before two late Cristiano Ronaldo goals snatched the points away.
Despite putting himself in a commanding position within Kenny’s set-up, the Meath native featured in just two League One games after arriving at Wigan and fell down the pecking order.
Speaking at the Intersport Elverys FAI Summer Soccer Schools camp at Tullamore Town FC on Tuesday, the day before McGrath’s season-long loan was confirmed, Kenny spoke positively about the possibility of the attacker getting regular games again.
“It’s not that he hasn’t kicked on, he hasn’t hardly kicked a ball. It’s a move that hasn’t gone well for whatever reason, it’s not through any fault of his own.
“He’s training well by all accounts. I spoke to him last week because I was interested to see where he was.
“There’s a few clubs in for him. He definitely needs to play and he’s a good player, he’s technically very good but he’s hugely mobile and has a tremendous out-of-possession shift.
“His work rate off the ball is very good and in those big matches against the Portugals and Belgiums, you need players who can do that against the top teams. He can certainly do both.”
McGrath headed back to Scotland after Dundee United boss Jack Ross, who tried to sign him when he was in charge of Hibernian, came calling again.
“It’s a good statement for us and this is the calibre of player we’ve been trying to recruit.
We can also help Jamie. Having been a mainstay of the Ireland squad for a season and a half, he has drifted away from that because he wasn’t playing regular football.
“He will play amongst other international-class players who have the same ambitions as him.”
