King hails Hendrick’s senior call-up

Ireland U21 boss Noel King reckons more of his gems can follow Jeff Hendrick into the senior fold after he yesterday drafted in a dozen uncapped players for the upcoming friendly against Holland.

The workout against the Dutch at Tallaght Stadium on February 6 will be his sole warm-up in advance of the qualifiers for the 2015 European Championship finals.

Having lost graduates Robbie Brady and Hendrick to Giovanni Trapattoni’s full set-up, King is planning without them even though they remain underage and could feature if not required by the Italian.