Aaron Connolly's elevation to the senior squad has the rest of the Ireland strikers looking over their shoulders.
That’s according to Preston marksman Sean Maguire, who admits the Brighton forward has caught the eye in training all week.
Connolly had quickly become a star of Stephen Kenny’s Under-21 team but his two goals against Tottenham at the weekend swayed Mick McCarthy.
And with David McGoldrick unfit for the Georgia game on Saturday, the Ireland boss won’t rule out a role for Connolly in Tbilisi.
Maguire, James Collins and Scott Hogan (inset) are also vying for inclusion but the new kid on the block has them all on their toes.
Maguire said: “Even going to training you want to do better than your team-mates, you want to score more goals in the small-sided games than your team-mates.
“(Connolly’s call-up) makes your want to raise your game, not just in training but when you go back to club level.
“We watched his game before ours on Saturday and we saw him turn players that played in the Champions League final last year – he was a joy to watch.
“Even in training he has shown glimpses that he can turn anyone inside out. He is only 19 years of age and to be doing that on the biggest stage is brilliant.
“To bring him in here now, I am probably speaking on behalf of all the strikers and wide players, it raises our game and it’s good competition to have going forward.”
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