Andrews says O’Neill must strike while Maguire is hot

Keith Andrews has lavished praise on Sean Maguire, saying the in-form striker is exactly what Ireland are crying out for, as Martin O’Neill prepares to name his squad for next month’s games against Georgia and Serbia.

Former international Andrews, who now divides his time between his coaching career and doing media work for Sky Sports and other outlets, believes Maguire has been so exceptional for Cork City this season that, even though the player has yet to play competitively for his new club Preston, he should be called up to the Irish squad with a view to playing a part in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

“At times there has been too much hype about certain players and too much of a clamour for certain players to be in Ireland squads that I would not have agreed with,” Andrews said.