Former Ireland striker Niall Quinn predicts that new manager Mick McCarthy will have a considerable influence on Ireland’s young players.
Ireland won just one of their last 11 matches under former manager Martin O’Neill with McCarthy subsequently replacing the Derry native at the helm of the national team late last year.
McCarthy previously managed Ireland between 1996 and 2002 and helped guide the national team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan.
Quinn played six years under McCarthy with Ireland and claims the former Ipswich Town manager will give the younger players in the Irish squad some much needed confidence after a difficult period during the final few months under O’Neill.
“I am really excited about Mick coming back on board,” Quinn said at the launch of Virgin Media Sport.
“I think our younger players lost a bit of direction. Our media are tough and I’m a part of that. It’s a tough battle station but I think he can turn it into something a little bit better especially for the younger players.
“I hope he can give players the same bounce he gave lads like Ian Harte and Gary Breen when he came in the first time. They were just getting in at their clubs and bedding in as footballers and he turned them into international players before they’d even become top club players, Kenny Cunningham as well.
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“If you go through the players the likes of Mark Kinsella too you can go right through the younger players that he brought in to play and they really blossomed and developed now I hope he’s able to do the same thing.
“I would disagree and argue when people say they haven’t got the talent, I think there’s talent waiting to come out, and if we can find the right route for them they could be a great addition.”
Quinn, an occasional football pundit with Sky Sports, also said that fans need to be wary of Manchester United after the recent appointment of manage Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but added that he still fancies Manchester City this season despite the sky blues four point gap behind league leaders Liverpool.
“Well you have to keep your eye on them that’s for sure,” Quinn said of United.
“Whether Solskjaer can keep this amazing run of confidence that’s running through the dressing room and into the stadium right now that remains to be seen.
“Any sportsman will tell you the same thing that if you’re playing for a manager or a coach that makes you feel good about yourself, who believes in you it comes back to you and you bounce it back to them and you go and play.
“How did Mourinho turn into the negative influence when he was such a brilliant coach in the past. There was a major play there from him that was like ‘I’m bigger than this place’, well actually you aren’t.
“Now we’re revisiting that sort of surge and belief and confidence that was always there at Man United.
“I said it on air and I’ll say it here again today, you would go to Old Trafford you would take a deep breath going out on to the pitch and you would hope to god you didn’t get spanked.
“For the last couple of years teams have gone there and said we’re in today, we can beat these. That’s a huge psychological change so for Man United and Solskjaer that’s been brilliant to see it but they have to carry on and that’s a huge ask.
“But I’d keep my eye on them. Man City look like the obvious favourites because of their talent pool and the way the club is going in general. Guardiola probably the best coach we’ve seen in a long. long time but I’m really interested in Man United.”
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