O’Brien to manage PFAI squad training in Dublin

Former Ireland international and Manchester United and Newcastle midfielder Liam O’Brien will manage the PFAI squad for this year’s annual training camp in Dublin and FIFPro Winter Tournament in Oslo, Norway on January 9.

Finland, Norway and Sweden will be the other countries at the tournament which acts as a shop window for out of contract players.

“The players who come in here are unattached, so our objective is to try to get them clubs and get them employment,” said O’Brien.

“There is nothing worse than when you are finished with a club to have to train on your own. At least here, you will come in three days a week with a tournament at the end of it to look forward to. We only started yesterday and we’d about ten in. We needs the lads to spread the word and hopefully over the next few training sessions we can get a squad a together.”

The squad will train Monday, Wednesday and Friday up to December 20 and, before heading for Norway, will take part in a number of warm-up matches in Dublin which, traditionally, have attracted the attention of League of Ireland managers.