Sheffield United defender John Egan played for the Republic of Ireland last night as they were beaten by The Netherlands.
Egan had been carrying a knock going into the international break but has come through games against both France and Holland now in impressive fashion.
The Blades skipper has come under fire from some at Bramall Lane for his performances this term but his latest performance for Ireland showed his quality.
Irish media impressed with John Egan against The Netherlands
Despite losing their 1-0 lead to eventually lose 2-1, Ireland put in a good performance overall. And central to that performance, was John Egan.
Two Irish media outlets praised the aggressive approach of Egan by giving him healthy 7/10 ratings, while the Irish Mirror was less generous with a 5/10 but still praised Egan’s ability yo step up.
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“7/10 – Some big tackles helped quell the Dutch attack and solid in the air too. Another good performance by the Corkman before he was replaced by Jamie McGrath,” the Irish Independent wrote.
“7/10 Let the Dutch know about about with an early reduced on Nathan Ake inside the first minute. Egan’s expertly broke up a number of opposition attacks in the first half, while he also picked out some wonderful passes when playing out from the back. You couldn’t have blamed him for either of the Dutch goals,” Balls.ie wrote.
“Egan was one of Ireland’s better players, even if he was taken off with just over 15 minutes to go as the team changed its formation
“5/10 – Quite the effort to play two games in four days after shipping an injury last week but subbed when Ireland went behind,” The Irish Mirror wrote.
Sheffield United News View: Time to rally behind the skipper
For whatever reason this season, Egan has become a bit of a scapegoat already and there are some bizarre calls from some to see him dropped.
Quite simply, Egan is not getting dropped any time soon and to do so would be a huge risk.
Sure, Egan has been out of position for a few goals. But others have struggled, and given the quality of Premier League striker on display, it’s little wonder that some mistakes have crept in.
Now though, it’s time to get behind Egan. There’s little point in Blades fans doing anything but that. In order to stay up, this club needs everyone pulling in the right direction.
John Egan remains one of our better players. And over the season, he will show that, as he did with Ireland last night.