Harry backs Wilson to fill Dunne boots for Irish

Richard Dunne may have exited the international scene but Marc Wilson is an able successor in the Ireland defence, according to Harry Redknapp.

The QPR manager remains a big admirer of Wilson’s, having recruited him as an apprentice for Portsmouth and subsequently handing the Antrim man his first-team debut against Chelsea in 2008.

While their paths went different ways, Redknapp has seen his protege prosper both in the Premier League for Stoke City and with Ireland. Martin O’Neill has started Wilson in the five games he’s been available for since taking over the Ireland hot seat last November, making him a certainty to fill one of the central defensive berths for the Euro 2016 campaign which kicks off in five weeks’ time.

With just 17 caps to his name, however, the 26-year-old has plenty to do for legendary status to be bestowed on him like that enjoyed by Dunne.

Redknapp, however, is a firm believer Wilson possesses the tools and attitude to take on the mantle of being the rock of O’Neill’s rearguard when the campaign gets under way in Tbilisi against Georgia on September 7.

“Marc is a great player who has done very well and is a good lad,” said the Redknapp.

“I signed him for Portsmouth when he left school. He was very small then but when the scout who got him for me, Rob Walker, introduced me to his dad and brother, I could see he was going to be a big lad.

“He can play anywhere across the back, centre-half especially, but he’s also played left-back. I think his best position is alongside the centre-half or in the middle of the park. He can play in quite a few positions.”

One reservation O’Neill aired about Wilson following the draw in Poland last November was his tendency to play out from the back.

In contrast, Redknapp reckons that quality of the Stoke man should be embraced at international level, even comparing his skills to that of his recent capture from Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand.

“Martin likes his defenders to boot the ball up the pitch doesn’t he?” joked Redknapp. “I’d tell Martin that if he was here.

“Marc’s a bit in the Rio Ferdinand style because he likes to play, doesn’t he? If you want to play football out from the back, Marc is the perfect man. He can read the game and knows what he’s doing. I could see Marc playing in midfield too; he’d be a great No 6.”

Wilson, named Portsmouth’s Young Player of the Year by Redknapp in 2008, says he owes his former boss a debt of gratitude for giving him his break.

“Harry came to my house to sign me and that was a major factor in my decision to join Portsmouth,” he explained. “He promised I’d get my chance in the first team once I worked hard. He was true to his word.”