Everton boss Roberto Martinez has declared that Darron Gibson’s return to the International scene can help everyone, including Everton.
“It’s really positive because Darron – and any player – wants to represent their country,” Martinez said in an interview with evertontv. “You want to play at the best level you can and I think Darron is at that moment in his career when he needs to play for his country.
“He has got a lot to offer because he is such a unique footballer in the things that he does and he’s going to be a big asset for the Irish squad.
“For us, it’s important that he gets a little bit of consistency in his work because the injury has kept him away a little bit and it is frustrating for everyone.
“The half an hour he played at the Etihad is going to help him immensely and now it’s just about making sure he can get through the demands of international football and that we have got a strong player from now until the end of the season.”
Gibbo made his first Premier League appearance of the weekend in the 3-1 loss to Manchester City and hasn’t featured for his country for a long time, following his disagreements with ex Ireland boss Trapattoni.
Thecombative midfielder, who is in the caretaker manager Noel King’s squad for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Germany in Cologne, fell out with Trapattoni after the Euro 2012 finals, when he was furious to have been an unused substitute in each of Ireland’s three group phase games. Trapattoni said that he wanted to include Gibson from the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign but the 25-year-old could no longer face playing under him.
King, who will also take charge of Ireland’s final tie against Kazakhstan in Dublin on Tuesday, has recalled Gibson, along with a gang of others who fell from favour under Trapattoni – Andy Reid, Kevin Doyle and Anthony Stokes. With Ireland’s World Cup hopes effectively over, the tie against Germany has assumed importance for the nation’s longer-term planning for Euro 2016.
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