Young guns Ireland's new faces

SOCCER:The national team's new blood

James McCarthy

(Wigan Athletic)

The 19-year-old has been considered a fairly hot property since his early teens and started delivering on his promise when he scored his first goal for his then club, Hamilton Academical, at just 16 years and 55 days old.

Before long there was talk of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs in a player being billed at that stage as something of a wonder kid. In the end, though, the bidders (and bids) were a little more modest and the SFA Young Player of the Year went to Wigan last summer for a little short of €1.5 million (plus add ons), where he has started to establish himself in earnest during the past eight weeks or so.

A versatile midfielder, McCarthy can play wide on either side but his preferred role appears to be in an advanced central position, just behind the strikers, and he has already scored two in 12 appearances so far for Wigan.

The teenager was born in Glasgow but qualifies for the Republic through his grandfather from Donegal and he has been capped by Ireland at various underage levels. Scotland’s loss is our gain.

Greg Cunningham

(Manchester City)

Quick, left-sided player who started life as a striker at Mervue United in his native Galway before heading off to England in order to join up with Manchester City.

Cunningham gradually shifted position so that he is now considered primarily as either a left-sided midfielder or left back.

The latter position is where he played his only 45 minutes of senior football for City, having replaced Nigel de Jong in the 4-2 cup win over Scunthorpe last month.

He appears, however, to be well regarded at the club and has been a prominent member of its moderately successful youth team over the past year or two.

Cunningham is also quite experienced in terms of underage international football and has been a regular goalscorer for his country. The 19-year-old possesses a great deal of potential although his sudden elevation says at least as much about the sense of urgency now surrounding Trapattoni’s search for a new left back as it does about his talent.

Marc Wilson

(Portsmouth)

Having been born in Aghagallon (near Lurgan), the former Manchester United youth started his international career playing for Northern Ireland at under-15 and under-17 levels but, like quite a few others, decided that his true allegiance lay with the Republic.

Wilson, who can play in central defence or in a defensive midfield role, left United for Portsmouth back in 2004 and was initially farmed out on loan to get experience at the likes of Yeovil, Bournemouth and Luton before breaking into the Fratton Park first team in late 2008.

Has taken a while to establish himself as a first-team regular but the now 22-year-old has done very well this year, establishing a solid partnership in difficult circumstances with Younes Kaboul before the Frenchman departed for Tottenham. Has played 26 first team games for the troubled club since the summer and recently signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract.

- Emmet Malone