Shay Given has made himself available for international selection again. The Daily Shift’s Peter Farrell has more…
The sight of Shay Given in an Irish jersey may not yet be a thing of the past.
Former Irish international goalkeeper Shay Given has announced that he is willing to come out of international retirement if Giovanni Trapattoni calls him up to the Irish squad.
There had been increasing speculation that the Aston Villa net minder, who has fallen out of favour at the club in recent months, may attempt to return to the international scene in order to get increased game time and possibly secure a move away from Villa Park.
Given has only made 7 appearances for the Villans this season, with the majority of these coming in the club’s run to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup.
The Donegal man, who has made 125 appearances for the Irish senior side, announced that he was retiring from international football at the end of Ireland’s Euro 2012 campaign. His retirement had seen Sunderland’s Kieran Westwood take over the number one jersey for Ireland, and it remains to be seen what the outcome of his return may be.
Westwood, 8 years younger than Given, has also struggled to establish himself at club level this season, with the ‘keeper believed to be looking to move away from the Stadium of Light on loan in order to build up match sharpness.
Given has stated that he does not wish to be included for Trapattoni’s squad for the upcoming friendly against Poland in February, although he has indicated that if there is an injury problem within the squad he would make himself available.
It remains to be seen whether Given will be included in the squad for March’s World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Austria.
Taking Trapatonni’s conservative record when it comes to player selection into consideration it may really be no surprise if Given adds to his 125 caps.
