Aston Villa and Newcastle United have been linked with Dundalk winger Daryl Horgan.
Republic of Ireland assistant boss Roy Kane has told The Irish Sun that moving to England isn’t always a fantasy for Irish players amid speculation surrounding Dundalk duo Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle.
Dundalk have been the story of the Europa League having gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Zenit St. Petersburg, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and AZ Alkmaar, and with two games remaining in the group stage, they have a real chance of going through to the knockout rounds.
Manager Stephen Kenny has understandably taken the plaudits for his remarkable work with the League of Ireland Premier Division champions, but two players have received rave reviews for their performance.
Dundalk’s Daryl Horgan in action
Centre back Andy Boyle and winger Daryl Horgan have both starred for Dundalk, and have been rewarded with places in Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland squad to take on Austria later this week.
Both players are now being linked with moves away; HITC Sport understand that Ipswich Town are keen on defender Boyle, whilst winger Horgan has a whole host of clubs tracking him, with RTE reporting that Aston Villa and Newcastle United both sent scouts to watch the wide man in action during Dundalk’s FAI Cup final defeat to Cork City on Sunday.
With speculation surrounding both players, Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane has been asked for his opinion on the rumours, and revealed to the Irish Sun that he bumped into a host of scouts from English and Scottish clubs on Sunday.
Dundalk’s Andy Boyle in action against AZ Alkmaar
Keane suggested that it’s a big gap and a big ask to make the move from Ireland to England, and pointed to the lack of success for Richie Towell – who left Dundalk for Brighton earlier this year – as a warning to both players about how a move to England isn’t always a fantasy.
“I bumped into people at the final working for English and Scottish clubs. They ask can they step up? That’s the million-dollar question. You don’t know,” said Keane. “Sometimes, there’s a big gap. It’s a big ask. The benefits of playing in Europe and their fitness levels will certainly help them if they go across.”
“Who’s to say they’re not happy and settled in Dundalk? Obviously, Richie Towell went over last year and he’s had one or two injuries and it’s not quite happened for him. So it’s not all this fantasy that you go over and everything falls into place. But I’m sure they’ll have good options,” he added.
Republic of Ireland assistant coach Roy Keane before the game
Horgan, 24, is the pick of the Dundalk side given that he has scored ten goals in 22 games this season. Out of contract in December, Horgan is attracting major interest – and he faces a huge decision.
Aston Villa have the likes of Jack Grealish, Jordan Ayew and Albert Adomah in their ranks, but manager Steve Bruce could certainly use another natural winger, meaning he could see some first-team football at Villa Park.
Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has a number of wide players, such as Yoan Gouffran, Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie, whilst Ayoze Perez and the injured Rolando Aarons can also play out wide too, meaning Horgan – who bears a striking resemblance to ex-Newcastle winger Damien Duff – could face a real fight for playing time, especially if Newcastle do win promotion to the Premier League.
If he chooses to come to England, whoever Horgan decides to sign for is a gamble; after all, he’s giving up stardom in Ireland and potentially a Europa League spot to try and make it in England, where a number of League of Ireland stars have struggled, meaning he’d be wise to listen to Keane’s advice before making a final decision on his future.
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