Pick of the bunch Brady targets starting spot in qualifiers

He may be only 22 but there was a sense of second coming for Robbie Brady last night after his brace gave Martin O’Neill a much-needed boost at the end of a mixed year.

Much was expected of the Dubliner when he made a goalscoring debut against Oman two years ago, yet Giovanni Trapattoni soon cooled on the winger — infamously leaving him out of a World Cup qualifier against Sweden six months later at the 11th hour.

Injuries conspired against his progress, too, as his stellar start to life in the Premier League for newly-promoted Hull City last season came to an abrupt halt because of a troublesome groin injury.