‘He gets the best out of players’

Not many, if any, of the current Ireland squad have encountered Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane more in the past decade than Daryl Murphy and Ipswich Town’s Irish striker realises the pair of adversaries are integral to his future.

This coming Saturday at Portman Road, Murphy begins his tenth season as a professional footballer in Britain when a relegated Fulham squad bolstered with reinforcements such as €13m purchase Ross McCormack aim to flex their muscles early on in the Championship promotion chase. Murphy and his unfancied Tractor Boys led by McCarthy succeeded in usurping some of the supposed big boys last term; the Waterford man’s 13 goals going a long way to finishing Ipswich a mere four points off the play-off zone.

Another double-figure goal haul for the 31-year-old during this campaign and the joy will be savoured not only by McCarthy but also his nemesis Keane.