TO palpable sighs of relief from Mick McCarthy and the Republic of Ireland footballing community as a whole, the prospect of Paul McGrath remaining the rock around which Ireland's remodelled three man central defence is built intensified yesterday. The Aston Villa manager Brian Little has, at last, confirmed that he will be offering the 36 year old maestro a new contract.
"Paul has earned the right to do what he wants to but he knows and I know that there will be an offer," said Little. "He has been a terrific servant to this club and still has a great deal to offer."
Though McGrath is entitled to a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer after serving seven years at Villa Park since his bargain £500,000 transfer from Manchester United, he has always declared his preference for seeing out his playing days at Villa.
On the assumption that he accepts Little's offer, McGrath would avert the process of seeking alternative employment - be it a dollar laden finale at Boston, an unlikely one off deal with another Premiership club or a step down the divisions.
It may also mean that McGrath will carry on at the heart of a three man defensive system for club and country. In the wake of Villa's English League Cup final win McGrath publicly thanked Little for devising a system which prolonged his career. Part of Mick McCarthy's thinking in emulating the system at international level is extending McGrath's international career. It is doubtful, as McCarthy has stated, whether McGrath could continue in a two man central defence as part of the rigidly orthodox 4-4-2.
