Neil Farrugia has the potential to force his way into the Republic of Ireland reckoning if he can realise his potential according to his Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley.
The 23-year-old wide-man was a key figure for the Hoops on Friday night as they made it two wins in a row in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division by beating rivals Bohemians 2-0 in the Dublin derby.
Farrugia opened the scoring at Dalymount Park shortly before half-time, playing a part in creating the goal with the key lay-off to Jack Byrne before heading it into the net after making a clever run into space and getting the ball back from the four-time Ireland cap.
And Bradley believes that the former UCD player has the attributes to win senior international honours as Byrne and their Rovers team-mate Graham Burke have done previously.
"I think right now Neil is unplayable," he told RTÉ Sport.
"You look at the last few weeks, right now he's unplayable. He can come inside, he can go outside.
"I said it before, he's six-foot-two, he can run. He’s adding goals, assists, I don’t think there's many better in the league. More goals and assists, that's his next step. But I think he’s there, I think he's just there. If you look at his performances, there's a lot that's just a yard off but he’s right there."
Farrugia has come close to the fringes of the Ireland squad previously, making the standby list when Stephen Kenny - part of the 4,290-strong crowd at Dalymount - named his selection for last November's friendlies against Norway and Malta along with Hoops team-mate Rory Gaffney and Derry City and Ireland Under-21 goalkeeper Brian Maher.
Bradley believes Farrugia can go a step further than the standby list if he can build on his current form.
"I have no doubt he has the potential to play for Ireland. He has all the attributes you'd want to play at that level. When he’s in the form he has all year, he’s unplayable at the moment," he said.
The player has had his fair share of injury setbacks in the past but his manager feels the work done with the Shamrock Rovers physios is bearing fruit.
"That's the belief he’s had with himself, I think we’ve all had to work hard," said Bradley.
"All of us as staff, how we manage his load, how we get him right, because we felt if we have him right, we have a player and right now he’s in the best place, I think, in his whole career."
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