Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has hinted at a possible call-up for Southampton forward Shane Long next month.
McCarthy says that Long is now at a level where he can be pushing for a place in his squad ahead of their European Championships qualifier against Slovakia in March.
Speaking to The FAI website, McCarthy said:
Shane Long looked fit against Burnley, he’s got that athleticism back and the sharpness that comes with playing regular first team football.
He was competitive throughout the game and he’s back where we need him to be to push for a place on the plane to Slovakia, which is good news.
READ SOUTHAMPTON VERDICT
Long has been in impressive form of late and is forming an excellent partnership with Danny Ings at the top end of the pitch for Southampton.
The forward has scored twice in his last five appearances for the Saints, finding the back of the net against both Tottenham and Wolves.
However, his goalscoring has not been the most eye-catching part of his performances in recent weeks, in our opinion.
His movement off the ball has been crucial to the way Southampton play, as he drags defenders out of place and allows other forward, such as Ings, to run into the space they vacate in order to create chances. It is his willingness to make deep runs in behind and into channels to aid his teammates which we feel has made his partnership with Ings so effective for Southampton.
If McCarthy is able to pair him with a striker who has a similar play style to Ings for Ireland, he could utilise Long in the same way.
It will be interesting to see if McCarthy does now call Long up for the Slovakia clash, and if he starts him up top on his own or as part of a two – where he has been thriving for the Saints.
