Trapattoni urges Gibson to move

Soccer:Giovanni Trapattoni has yet again urged Republic of Ireland midfielder Darron Gibson to look further afield in a search for first-team football rather that remain on the fringes with Manchester United. Gibson again demonstrated his danger from midfield in last night's Carling Nations Cup victory over Wales.

The 23-year-old opened the scoring with a stunning opening strike in the 3-0 victory at the Aviva Stadium. Trapattoni, though, believes the will not get sufficient exposure at Old Trafford.

“He can do more,” said Trapattoni this morning. “He has big potential. If I was Gibson I would go to another group where I always play. With this you can build.

“Manchester is Manchester and it is an important club, but sometimes the young players need to play, play, play. It gives them confidence,” he added.

It is not the first time that Trapattoni has raised the issue and Gibson has already gone on the record to say he is very happy at United, albeit he would like to play more games.

Speaking ahead of the Andorra game last September, Gibson said: “Where else would I go from Manchester United? What club, other than Manchester United, could I go to improve my game?

“To be honest, if he’s (Trapattoni) trying to say that I should move somewhere like Stoke City and change my game to winning tackles and not winning games, then he’s having a laugh. To move on from Manchester United just doesn’t make sense to me.”

While his latest comments may rub Gibson up the wrong way, Trapatonni insisted that the door remains firmly open for Wigan’s James McCarthy after a week of mixed messages and fears the youngster could switch his allegiances to his native Scotland.

“James knows our position,” the Italian told reporters. “James knows we like him. He is 21-years-old and I was a player, Marco was a player. At 21, we were men. We take decisions. I don’t wait for my agent to tell me what to do. He can decide freely, I like Scotland , I lIke Ireland . He has the possibility. Many wait for agent, you decide. That is it. He knows our mind.

“Yesterday I read in one newspaper, ‘James where is your home?’ He can decide, he has the opportunity, it’s not the manager, it’s his heart. The manager changes, Giovanni today, another tomorrow.”