Jason Knight: Ireland players must step up to fill Evan Ferguson void

STEP UP: Jason Knight during a Republic of Ireland training session at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Jason Knight admits Ireland must learn not to depend on the firepower of Evan Ferguson, their rising star goalscorer ruled out of this Euro qualification double-header.

The striker scored against Latvia and Gibraltar, plus set up the equaliser for Nathan Collins in Greece, but a knee injury sustained after scoring his first Premier League hat-trick on Saturday was deemed by FAI medical staff to warrant his withdrawal on Tuesday.