Former Republic of Ireland international Keith Treacy believes Shane Duffy retains value as a wildcard option off the bench for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier against France in spite of limited game-time for Fulham this season.
The centre-back has made just four Premier League appearances totalling two minutes since signing for Fulham last summer and has only played in two other games in the cup competitions.
Duffy, who turned 31 on New Year's Day, was not involved in Ireland's squad for friendlies against Norway and Malta in November due to personal reasons but there is a sense that he has dropped behind Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea, John Egan and Andrew Omobamidele in the centre-back pecking order during the latter half of last year, having been left on the bench for the final two Nations League games against Scotland and Armenia two months earlier.
But with Stephen Kenny set to name his squad on Thursday for the Latvia friendly and France's qualifier visit to the Aviva Stadium, Treacy emphasised what Duffy could still bring to the squad.
"If you're looking at it on paper, he shouldn't be in the squad," he told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"But I think Duffy's a great option off the bench. I don't think we can play him (from the start) because he's not match fit and it'd be a huge, huge ask for him.
Treacy said it was Duffy's ability to make himself a nuisance in the opposition box and potentially find the net as he has seven times before in an Ireland jersey - four times during the Kenny era - that makes him the joker in the pack if the Boys in Green are chasing a tight game.
"If we're losing 1-0 to France or 2-1 with ten minutes to go, I wouldn't be averse to throwing him up front," he said, adding that Collins, O'Shea and Egan were the likely starting back three for the game on 27 March.
"I know that's not Stephen Kenny's style but he's a big, big threat in the box - in either box. He's very good defensively and he's one of Ireland's top goalscorers under Stephen Kenny if not the top goalscorer, so I'd throw him on the bench and whatever happens in the last ten minutes, if we're still in the French game, start pumping balls into the box because that's what the French won't like.
"You don't complicate the game against the French. Get it into wide areas and put it in with decent quality into the box."
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
