Loyal Sheffield United star praised by international boss ahead of crunch game

McGoldrick, United's leading goalscorer so far this season, is expected to win his latest Irish cap tomorrow as Kenny's men face Slovakia in a crunch European Championships play-off.

Ireland also face Wales and Finland ahead of United's next Premier League outing, against Fulham a week on Saturday.

And Kenny, who replaced Mick McCarthy in April, said: "When I took over, Sheffield United looked like they were going to qualify for Europe, which meant extras games.

“He [McGoldrick] is a family man, a good-sized family. He's 32, nearly 33. You wonder whether a player would say: ‘I've to focus on my club' because it happens a lot at that age group. But that wasn't what I got from him at all; I got quite the opposite.

“Mick had him at Ipswich and all of that so… When I took over I was wondering in my own head: Is he going to relax and take a bit of a back seat, focus on club football, particularly with Sheffield United playing in the Premier League. That wasn't the case at all. He was absolutely desperate to play.

"He was just so enthusiastic about playing and really, really hungry to play.”

McGoldrick scored United's first Premier League goal of the season on Sunday, in defeat to Arsenal, and also found the back of the net in the Carabao Cup clash with Burnley last month.

He missed Ireland's Nations League opener against Bulgaria recently and was only fit enough to come off the bench and play 24 minutes of their clash against Finland a few days later.

“We've been very dependent on David McGoldrick in the previous campaign,” Kenny added.

“When he was missing, we lost the game. He seemed to be a massive loss, we needed to increase our options in that way.

"People are undecided, 'what sort of player is he?'. I suppose that David has been an adaptable player.

"In a front two he drops off and that's what a 3-5-2 gives you the opportunity of doing. He can link up the play which is one of his best attributes. David can do that with his back to goal and can see key opportunities for other players.

"So he is creative and a provider of opportunities while he also knits the play together.

"He becomes important when he is not there because of what he does. He enhances teams and makes them cohesive. He becomes the focal point and he is streetwise, uses his body well and has a great first touch. He is also aware of the players playing off him.

"Some centre forwards take the ball in, take a touch then lay the ball off and everyone says 'well done' but you've lost the momentum of the move because you have not gone anywhere.

"What David sees is players around him with his peripheral vision. He sees people off him, has delicate touches and players run off him, left and right and he gets players in.”

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