Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Soccer

Damien Delaney "the wrong side of 30" says Martin O'Neill but he's not ruling him out either

Ireland manager Martin O'Neill has suggested that Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney is not c...



Damien Delaney "the wrong...
Soccer

Damien Delaney "the wrong side of 30" says Martin O'Neill but he's not ruling him out either

Ireland manager Martin O'Neill has suggested that Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney is not completely out of his plans for Euro 2016.

The 34-year-old Premier League centre-back had retired from international football at the end of last summer partly due to a lack of opportunities, but also admitting that he disagreed with "certain aspects".

But there is a belief that he could reconsider his decision to retire ahead of the summer's European Championship.

O'Neill discussed the potential of calling up the Cork man for the tournament in France on tonight's Champions League coverage on TV3.

"It's an interesting one with Damien. The summer before last, we had a collection of players. He played with us in Turkey and then we had a tour of America," he said.

"I think he felt he was never going to be a first choice and he declined to go to America and that didn't augur too well. I couldn't guarantee it. We went our separate ways. He is on the wrong side of 30. He hasn't played that many competitive games for Ireland. The way we are with centre-halves, I couldn't rule anyone out."

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Soccer