Stephen Kenny backs misfiring strikers to produce for Ireland despite struggles at club level

The encouragement that comes with Evan Ferguson and his breakthrough season in the Premier League with Brighton is, sadly, counterbalanced by the fact that a quartet of Irish forwards, who also played in the Premier League as teenagers, have yet to build on that early promise, as Troy Parrott, Adam Idah, Aaron Connolly and Michael Obafemi have all yet to really build on that early promise.

Connolly’s unimpressive club season ended in February due to injury, while Idah, due to injury and loss of form, had a testing season with Norwich, only two goals and 11 league starts.

Parrott scored just three times for Preston in an injury-scarred campaign while his place in the international pecking order was clear last March when he was in the overall panel, but didn’t make the bench, for the Euro qualifier at home to France, and Obafemi didn’t start one league game in his half-season with Championship winners Burnley.

Ferguson is the obvious ace in the pack for Stephen Kenny ahead of the Euro qualifiers against Greece and Gibraltar, but Kenny says he has faith in the likes of Parrott and Idah being able to get back into their stride.

And while the Ireland boss has stated that Caoimhín Kelleher needs a summer move away from Liverpool to progress his career, he feels that Parrott needs another loan spell away from Tottenham before he can look to becoming a Premier League regular.

“I think he (Kelleher) knows himself and I think Liverpool know that, he’s at a stage in his career. Troy is different. Realistically he probably needs another loan to see what club is right for him. His next loan move is important,” says Kenny.

“I think if he gets another loan to the Championship, that would be ideal, or a European league of a similar ilk. With the right club, that he connects with and wants to play. Injuries affected him this year, he didn’t come back at the level.”

Kenny says he’s aware of whispers about Parrott’s attitude but he insists that talk is wide of the mark.

“People don’t realise how dedicated he is. I know there is all this thing about Troy and lifestyle,” says Kenny, adding that when the Championship season with loan club Preston was over last month, Parrott eschewed the beaches and holiday resorts to work on his fitness with Tottenham’s U21 side.

“He’s honest, he’ll say ‘I’m missing chances I should be scoring, I wanted to be better and further on than I am now’. He’s very honest with himself which is a great starting point, I think. And I think he will come good again.

“He knew in the last camp, because I left him out of the last game, he wasn’t at the level he had been, I think he’s capable, because he’s so young.

“Troy hasn’t backed that up this year, I had a long conversation with Troy in Bristol and his next move is important for him.”

Obafemi did get his move, from Swansea to Burnley, but played only a cameo role in their Championship title success.

“I think that Michael is a natural goalscorer, he’s capable of getting a lot of goals, you saw his goals here against Scotland and Armenia, great goals, obviously he’s not playing weekly football since he went to Burnley, I wouldn’t have envisaged that he’d play as little as he has,” added Kenny.

“And Adam hasn’t shown that, he has been a prolific goalscorer for Ireland up the levels, at all the levels, and injury had halted his career, two knee injuries but he’s still a very exciting talent, he has a lot but he needs to kick on in his career, this is a big year for him also.”

And Kenny used the example of Ferguson to illustrate how quickly things can change, Kenny revealing that Brighton had planned to loan out Ferguson for the second half of this season, only for the teenager to burst onto the Premier League scene and establish himself in the side.

“When I brought him into the November camp, he hadn’t kicked a ball, really, for the first team. We brought him in with a view that he was going on loan at that stage, clubs in League One were trying to take him in,” says Kenny.

“He got his opportunity and hasn’t looked back, he’s grabbed it with both hands.

“Even in the Premier League, it’s not about the standard, sometimes it’s feeling wanted, that you are part of it, that you connect with the players, that you’re happy, and that can be a big thing as well.”