McGeady out of next week's friendlies

INTERNATIONAL NEWS:WITH AIDEN McGeady the latest of his more established internationals to cry off for next week's friendly games at the RDS, Giovanni Trapattoni's hopes of being able to field strong teams against Paraguay and Algeria appear to be steadily disintegrating. The veteran Italian shrugged off the problem yesterday, though, and was clearly taken as he talked after training about reports that Kevin Doyle might be on his way to Arsenal over the course of the close-season.

Trapattoni has spoken before about the potential of the 26-year-old to make a major impact at one of the big clubs and news of Arsene Wenger’s interest in recruiting the Wexfordman had the veteran manager wondering just what might be if the striker enjoyed the sort of service he would get at the Emirates.

“I read this news and I would be very, very happy for him,” he said. “Kevin is ready to play in a great team and it would be good for him. A striker like him can always be good but when he has good support, obviously it’s better for him.”

Despite Wolves scoring so few goals last season, Doyle has emerged with a tremendous amount of credit from his first campaign at Molineux, with the Irishman proving a great success in the lone striker’s role he has been asked to play by manager Mick McCarthy.

He helped his cause too by turning in big performances in some of his side’s most high-profile games, most memorably against Liverpool after which both managers singled him out for lavish praise.

Arsenal have not made a firm offer to date but Wenger is said to be an admirer and in the event that he was willing to bid something in excess of €10 million for the striker, McCarthy would not be expected to stand in his way.

It would be a move, says Trapattoni, that could fully unlock the player’s potential. “When a striker is alone up front,” he observed yesterday, “he cannot pass the ball. But I have seen him alone play against strong defenders and opponents and I am sure he can get more chances with better quality players. I have seen him play well for Wolves but how much more could he do if he received 12 more passes in a game. How many more goals would he score?”

Doyle is due to join up with the Ireland squad over the weekend, but the loss of McGeady due to a knee ligament problem that Celtic say requires rest has added to Trapattoni’s reliance on the young players who featured in the friendly game against Paul Doolin’s under-23 side.

One of those to look quietly impressive on Tuesday was 19-year-old Greg Cunningham, the Manchester City left back whose progress is the source of growing optimism in relation to what is a problem position for the senior team.

Though Cunningham, from Carnmore in Galway, has some way to go before the Ireland manager will be looking to him to step into boots previously occupied by the likes of Denis Irwin, Jim Beglin and Steve Staunton, he has had a highly satisfactory year at City, playing an important role in a successful reserve side, making three first team appearances and signing a new two-and-a-half-year contract back in January.

The deal, he insists, won’t do anything to take the edge off his hunger to make further progress at Eastlands and despite the common perception among outsiders that City managers will purchase proven talent rather promote from within, Cunningham seems undaunted by the prospect of challenging a star signing for his place.

“Obviously with City being such a high profile club you’re going to get loads of publicity about who’s coming in and who is going out,” said the teenager who started his life in football as a striker, switched to the left wing but now happily sees himself as an attacking full-back. “But you try not to read or believe everything you read in the papers.

“If they come in, they come in but you’ve got to believe in yourself, that you’re better than the player that’s in your position and then you’ve got to keep plugging away, keep working hard and see where it goes from there.

“When the takeover happened and they were buying in new players, all the youngsters were getting a bit worried about whether they’d ever get a chance.

“But with four of us having made our debuts, everyone has seen that the manager has confidence in the younger players so there’s a great buzz about the place now.

“Our reserves won the Manchester senior cup and finished second in the league so there’s a great buzz and a belief that if you keep working hard you will get your chance.”

Cunningham comes across as likeable and mature, so there is no hint of arrogance when he says his next task as to establish himself as a regular in both the City and Ireland teams.

“I’m just trying to take everything as it comes,” he says. “Hopefully on this trip I might get my first senior cap and then after it I might get to just sit down with the family, take a deep breath with a cup of tea and try to take it all in.”