'He just said in the dressing room, I've created a bit of a stir'
IRELAND INTERNATIONAL Kasey McAteer was in buoyant form after producing a man-of-the-match performance in Ireland's 1-1 draw with Senegal.
The Leicester star opened the scoring in the 21st minute — McAteer fired home from close range after his initial header had been saved by the opposition goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf.
It was the 23-year-old's full Ireland debut and fifth cap in total.
'I know at my best, I can hurt teams, and I tried to do that tonight,' McAteer told reporters on Friday. 'I got some good balls down the side.
'[The coaches' message was:] 'Play your game, get at your defender and try and create chances.' I felt that when I got the ball, I tried to do that as much as possible.'
The post-match interview was delayed with McAteer receiving some treatment after the game, but the winger said he would be ready to go for Ireland's friendly with Luxembourg on Tuesday.
'When you haven't played a game in two weeks, you can feel it. It might not seem like a long time, but as a player, when you play and train every day, that little break can take it out of you.'
Advertisement
The special occasion was a welcome boost for McAteer after a frustrating season.
He was part of a Leicester City team that were relegated from the Premier League.
Demotion to the Championship tends to create uncertainty within a squad, but McAteer believes his long-term future is with the Foxes.
'I've been at Leicester since I was eight years old, so I'd never turn my back on the club. It's a club where I've grown, I've loved, and I've supported.
'I'll get away in the summer, get a holiday, refresh, regroup and start pre-season for Leicester, fighting to get us back into the Premier League, where we deserve to be.'
It was also a challenging season for McAteer on a personal level. Of his 18 Premier League appearances, only nine were starts. Although he finished strongly, playing the last four consecutive matches of the campaign from the outset.
'I'd not been in my club side for a few weeks, but recently I have been given the chance to play and I feel like I've grown every week.
'There are a lot of senior players at Leicester, and I respect that. Being home-grown, sometimes it's easy to overlook players like myself, but I've never stopped fighting. I've kept banging down the door to get into the team.
'I got in the team, my first Premier League goal [in a 2-0 win over Ipswich] and a few good results. It wasn't enough because we were already relegated, but I can personally look back with a lot of pride.'
And McAteer's better fortune at club level has led to increased involvement on the international stage.
He had been left out of previous squads, but was determined to get back on track.
'It was explained to me that it's because I'm not playing at my club that the boys who are playing for their club every weekend — they deserve to play for their country. And I understand that.
'I didn't take it well, I wanted to be here. I want to play as many games as I can, but hopefully I've started putting my stamp on games, coming in and getting on that score sheet, that's the most important thing for myself.'
While some may have doubted McAteer, Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson had faith in the player even during the bad times.
'I've regular contact with him, not just when squads are being announced, but when I'm not playing, when I am playing, to see how I'm doing and stuff. And that's really good to get from a manager who's obviously behind me wanting to do well.
'And he just said in the dressing room, I've created a bit of a stir.
'You want your name to be thrown about in conversations around team selections. I wanted to create a ruffle. Hopefully I've done that.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Independent
40 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
‘Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield' – Man City welcome £46.3million Dutch signing Reijnders
The Premier League club have confirmed the 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium. His arrival makes it four signings in a week for City, who announced deals for £30.5m midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli on Tuesday, while left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri joined from Wolves in a £31.3m move on Monday. Those transfers have been finalised in time for the players to be registered for the group stages of the Club World Cup this month. Reijnders arrives at City after impressing in an otherwise disappointing season at Milan, who finished eighth in Serie A and missed out on qualification for Europe. He scored 15 goals in the 2024-25 campaign and will bolster Pep Guardiola's midfield options following this summer's departure of Kevin De Bruyne. The Dutchman said: "I am ecstatic to be signing for Manchester City. City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities. "Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years. It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. "This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it's an inspiration to follow in their footsteps. "I am really looking forward to getting going, meeting the other players and showing the Manchester City fans what I can do." City's latest transfer activity continues an overhaul of the squad that began with the January signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. Further deals are also possible as the club respond to a disappointing season in which they failed to mount a strong Premier League title defence and exited the Champions League before the last 16. Director of football Hugo Viana added: "We are very happy that Tijjani has joined us and we're excited for him to join Pep's squad. "Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield, and working with Pep and our coaches will only see him go from strength to strength." City will play their first match in the Club World Cup against Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on June 18 and have further group games against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Juventus.


The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Huddersfield appoint former Man Utd defender as he joins Lee Grant's revolution at League One club
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN have announced Paul McShane is joining as an assistant coach. The Irish centre-back, 39, has spent he past three years as a youth coach at 2 Paul McShane has been announced as an assistant manager at Huddersfield Credit: Getty 2 Ex-United keeper Lee Grant was appointed Town boss last month Credit: PA McShane began his near two-decade playing career with the Red Devils before spells with Hull, West Brom and Reading. And he teams up with former United goalkeeper Lee Grant at the John Smith's Stadium. Huddersfield READ MORE ON FOOTBALL Club legend Jon Worthington was put in charge for the remainder of the campaign. But Town lost 10 of their last 12 league games, eventually finishing 14 points outside the playoffs. McShane has now joined Grant's backroom staff in West Yorkshire. The 39-year-old teams up with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, a former youth coach at Liverpool. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Jonathan Robinson, Steven Gerrard's No. 2 at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, also joins the League One setup. Grant has already been backed by Birmingham become first EFL club to win promotion as Tom Brady's club bounce back to Championship at first attempt Grant told the club website: "I am thrilled to welcome Marc, Paul, and Jonathan to Huddersfield Town – three exceptional professionals who join us as Assistant Coaches. "Their diverse backgrounds, dedication, and commitment to excellence will be invaluable to us as we continue to grow and build something special at this club. "Each brings a unique outlook and energy that aligns with our values and future aspirations." Huddersfield have suffered an alarming slide after Carlos Corberan almost led the club back to the Prem in 2022 But the club fought relegation from the Championship for multiple seasons before dropping to League One in 2024. They had been expected to mount a strong push for promotion last term. Duff led his side on an impressive 16-game unbeaten run midway through the campaign. But the Terriers lacked bite where it mattered, with their 58 goals the lowest of any team in the top half.


The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Best XI of players released by Premier League clubs including Kevin De Bruyne and 39-cap former England star
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs have flooded the free agents market with plenty of talent this summer. A whopping 182 players have their contracts expiring at the end of the month. 12 Kevin De Bruyne is a free agent after leaving Manchester City Credit: Getty 12 Christian Eriksen is now without a club Credit: AFP 12 Craig Dawson has left Wolves after two seasons Credit: Alamy Some players, such as However, there are plenty still on the hunt for a deal at a new club. Veterans such as Kevin De Bruyne and Christian Eriksen will be hoping to find new clubs before next season starts. De Bruyne is undoubtedly the biggest star without a club from the Premier League. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL The Manchester City legend has won it all in England during his decade at the Etihad. He has already shown he still has plenty to offer as he netted It is believed that the midfielder will have his future sorted quickly, with Ashley Young, 39, is another notable addition to the free agents list. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS The 39-cap The now-defender has a wealth of top-flight experience, having previously won titles at Kevin De Bruyne given emotional Etihad send off as Man City take huge leap towards return to Champions League 12 Ashley Young is on the lookout for a new club Credit: Getty 12 Lukasz Fabianski has left West Ham after seven years Credit: Getty 12 Man United have let Victor Lindelof leave the club Credit: Getty Young starred at Old Trafford as a winger for much of his nine years at the club and earned winners' medals in the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup. Other solid defenders that are on the market include Man United's The best goalkeeper that has been let go is The former However, he is now on the lookout for a new club after being displaced as the number one by In the midfield, there are some intriguing players who have left their clubs. Alongside De Bruyne, creative stars such as Christian Eriksen and Eriksen left Old Trafford after two years at the club while Sarabia has done the same. Abdoulaye Doucoure is another star who is leaving Everton this summer. 12 Dominic Calvert-Lewin will not be at Everton next season Credit: PA 12 Prem legend Jamie Vardy is available on a free Credit: Reuters 12 The midfielder has played a key role in keeping the club in the Premier League over the last few seasons. However, the club has opted against keeping him on as manager In attack, there are some intriguing options for clubs lacking firepower to consider signing. The veteran forward still has something to offer as he netted nine times in the Premier League last season. The Toffees ace has plenty of talent, having previously been valued at more than £30million. He has seen his form dip in recent seasons with injuries hampering his game time. But at 28 years old, there is still time for the former Sheffield United striker to get back to the heights he once showed. 12 12 Michail Antonio may be on his way out of West Ham Credit: AFP 12 Neal Maupay will not get a new contract at Everton Credit: Getty