Leicester winger Kasey McAteer set to commit international future to Ireland

Stephen Kenny said after Monday night’s win over Gibraltar that he had been working on bringing in an Irish qualified winger from England’s second tier.

The Irish Independent understands that McAteer (21) is the player in question.

McAteer has made the breakthrough with Leicester this term, a club that he joined as an eight year old.

He made a Premier League debut as a late sub off the bench in a game with Newcastle in December 2021 but subsequently embarked on loan spells with Forest Green Rovers and AFC Wimbledon to gain experience.

Leicester’s relegation from the top flight opened the door for his first team breakthrough at the start of this season, and he made an instant impact by scoring twice in a victory at Rotherham in August.

He primarily operates on the right side of midfield, although he does have experience on the left and in a central role.

McAteer has registered five goals in nine appearances, including an EFL Cup goal against Liverpool at Anfield, but he suffered a hamstring injury at Blackburn earlier this month that casts doubt over whether Kenny will get to work with an individual he has pursued.

As he reflected on the October window, Kenny gave his clearest indication yet that he expects to lose his job after next month’s games with Netherlands and New Zealand.

He accepts that there will be ‘implications’ for the defeats to Greece this year.

That was part of his broader analysis of the squad he has assembled under his watch and whether his belief in their ability to qualify for tournaments in the future has been dented.

A need to add wingers was a central theme of his ruminations, in addition to striking competition to relieve the pressure on Evan Ferguson.

He was reluctant to get drawn into discussion about whether the job has proved harder than he imagined beforehand.

“That’s for another day,” he said, “I’m still in the job. I’m going to Amsterdam, I’ll manage against New Zealand.

“The fact we lost at home to Greece, I understand there is implications for that but at the same time, since the end of Covid – I know if I throw a stat people can throw another one back – but we've won as many as we have lost, we have won 11, lost 10 and drawn six in 27 games including friendlies. In the group, which is the most important thing, we lost both games to Greece which has hurt us and I understand there are implications for that as well.

“We are stronger in some areas than others,” said Kenny, as he spoke about the squad he has constructed under his watch.

“The centre half area is strong. I think Andrew Omobamidele will come good again. Nathan (Collins) had played 16 games in a row. He didn't play on Monday but he will play again, he's been outstanding for us. Dara O’Shea. The centre back area is strong.

“We need to increase our pool in wide areas for sure and midfield players. There’s no doubt we have talent. The likes of Will Smallbone and Evan Ferguson have a few caps under their belt (Ferguson has started six games while Smallbone has started four). The other players, with maturity, will get better as well, with more experience.

“Obviously the centre forward area has been an issue for Ireland for a while - before I was in charge and since I've been in charge. Adam Idah, Troy Parrott and Aaron (Connolly) are all talented, but they've had issues with gametime at their clubs and that can affect them.

“Evan bursting on the scene has been a breath of fresh air, it gives renewed hope as well but you need competition. You can't rely on an 18 or 19 year old player, they will invariably have periods where they are injured as well. We need a pool of players and we blooded a lot with a view to that.

“We are still light in wide areas for sure in terms of real depth and I know it's been mentioned there hasn't been a real outstanding midfield creator, but you can't have everything and I think we've got a lot of good players who have done well for us at different periods.”

McAteer will be added to the mix but another manager is likely to reap the benefits.