Jake O'Brien launches the ball forward for Ireland during last month's defeat to Armenia in Yerevan. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
The recurrent message from the Ireland camp this week is that nobody is throwing in the towel on World Cup qualification. In Jake O’Brien, the team might just have an old-school weapon capable of handing them a lifeline in Lisbon.
O’Brien has become something of a long-throw specialist since joining Everton and he could prove an influential presence against Portugal on Saturday. The Cork man is a throwback, of sorts.
“It has become a lot more common and not just with us (Ireland), but in the Premier League too,” says the 24-year-old defender on using long throws. “I think against teams like Portugal you’ve got to pick your moments.”
Everton have been utilising O’Brien’s specialist quality as a launchpad to create panic in front of
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