"He's had a brilliant season, ten goals and four assists" — Keith Treacy isn't mincing words. The ex-Ireland winger wants Jack Moylan in Heimir Hallgrimsson's squad for the Republic's May training camp in Murcia, and the Lincoln City forward's numbers make it a tough argument to dismiss.
Moylan, 24, has scored nine of his ten League One goals since mid-January. That's not a hot streak — that's a player hitting form at exactly the right moment. Lincoln have already wrapped up promotion, which means his season ends May 2nd, leaving him free to join a camp that will otherwise struggle for availability.
Why the timing actually works in Moylan's favour
Hallgrimsson's squad options for Murcia are genuinely limited. Senior regulars at European clubs won't travel. Players caught up in the Championship play-offs are unavailable. League of Ireland players are effectively ruled out given the clash with their domestic calendar. That narrows the pool considerably, and a promotion-winning forward with double-digit goals starts looking like an obvious inclusion rather than a punt.
Treacy framed it well: this isn't about crowning Moylan the next Ireland No.9. It's about opening the door. "Come in, have a look behind the curtain" — a training camp appearance with a friendly against Grenada on May 16th is exactly the low-stakes, high-information environment Hallgrimsson should be exploiting.
Former keeper Barry Murphy pushed further, naming Tayo Adaramola at Sheffield Wednesday — "aggressive and tailor-made" for Ireland's system — alongside Benfica winger Jaden Umeh as players worth fast-tracking. Murphy's broader point landed: these friendlies need to answer questions, not just tick boxes. If Chiedozie Ogbene gets injured in the autumn Nations League games, who stretches play? That answer needs to exist before the problem arises.
A squad being rebuilt, one friendly at a time
The Nations League assignments are coming. After the World Cup play-off defeat in Prague, Ireland need more than continuity — they need depth that actually functions under pressure. Moylan stepping up to Championship football next season with a first senior cap behind him isn't a wild scenario. It's a logical progression that costs Hallgrimsson nothing to explore.
Ten goals, a League One title, and a Dubliner who League of Ireland fans already know. The case writes itself.
