McClean makes the plane

“Hello, I am Giovanni Trapattoni.”

When the Ireland manager rang James McClean yesterday morning, he identified himself straight off just to make sure that the Sunderland man didn’t think he was the victim of a dressing room prankster.

When Trapattoni calls a player, he explained with a smile, he wants to make sure that they don’t get a chance to hang up before he gets to the point.