Lenihan’s move to Hull nearing completion

Brian Lenihan is this weekend putting the finishing touches to a deal which will make him a Hull City player, although confirmation of the move is not now expected until Monday.

The 20-year-old full-back’s departure from Cork City comes on the back of a string of fine performances which have attracted the attention of a number of clubs in England.

Championship side Brighton and Premier League Hull tabled bids for the player but, after talks with both clubs this week, Lenihan is all set to sign on the dotted line with Steve Bruce’s side once personal terms have been completed.

Ireland manager Martin O’Neill will attend the meeting of Derby County and Ipswich Town today and is also expected to give an update on his squad plans for Wednesday’s friendly against Oman in Dublin and the following Sunday’s World Cup qualifier in Georgia, amid continued speculation of about recall for veteran goalkeeper Shay Given and a possible declaration to play for Ireland by West Ham midfielder Mark Noble.

Meanwhile, the FAI has announced an agreement with RTÉ for the live broadcast of SSE Airtricity League and FAI Ford Cup matches through to the end of the 2018 season – amounting to 78 live matches from now until November 2018. Under the agreement, RTÉ also continue their support of the SSE Airtricity League each week through Soccer Republic, RTE’s weekly football series on Monday evening.

RTÉ will also broadcast live all of Ireland’s Euro 2016 qualification matches in Euro 2016 kicking off on Sunday September 7 with that game against Georgia in Tbilisi.