Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has heaped praise on West Ham loan star Josh Cullen, saying that he has “made a valid case” to get his first senior call-up.
Cullen was sent out on loan to Charlton Athletic last summer, where he scored one goal and assisted five others in 29 League One appearances.
The 23-year-old was involved in the 94th-minute goal that sent the Addicks back to the Championship and, speaking to Sky Sports News, McCarthy insisted that the midfielder could not have done more to impress.
“Josh Cullen has been excellent and has made a valid case to get a game,” the Ireland manager said.
“But you could argue that the midfield has been as good as any party of the team with the likes of Glenn Whelan and Conor Hourihane and Jeff [Hendrick] doing well.
“He’s making a case for himself against some really good players, he’s impressed everybody.”
OPINION
McCarthy has a real point here – it is going to be hard to ignore Cullen for Monday evening’s game against Gibraltar in the Euro 2020 qualifiers. The 23-year-old really did impress for Charlton and was directly involved in the game that saw the club return to the second tier of English football. Aside from that, Cullen also played three Premier League 2 games for West Ham before he was sent to Charlton at the end of August, and in three run-outs, he scored one goal and registered one assist. By the sounds of it, McCarthy is seriously considering including Cullen in his starting lineup for Monday evening’s game, and it would not be a surprise to indeed see his name on the team sheet. If he is selected, it will be a massive confidence booster for the player and may give Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini one or two thoughts about keeping him at the London Stadium next term.