Jamie McGrath's inclusion in Stephen Kenny's starting XI against Portugal surprised some Republic of Ireland fans, but others were delighted to see him get his chance.
The St Mirren playmaker, who played under Kenny at Dundalk, has been named in midfield alongside Jeff Hendrick and Josh Cullen for the clash in Faro.
Reacting to his inclusion, one fan said: "Delighted to see Jamie McGrath start! Fully deserved."
Another posted: "Jamie McGrath, a well deserved start."
Someone else commented: "Jamie McGrath starts for Ireland in Portugal. On the field with Ruben Dias, Bruno Fernandes, Jota and Cristiano Ronaldo. What an unbelievable night for him. So well deserved."
One other tweet read: "Great to see Jamie McGrath starting for Ireland tonight I hope he does well the boy, he's a class act."
Meanwhile, Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah have been handed the task of taking the Republic of Ireland’s threat to Portugal in their World Cup qualifier clash.
The 21-year-old Brighton striker and his Norwich counterpart, 20, who were ruled out of last October’s Euro 2020 play-off semi-final clash with Slovakia by Covid-19 protocols, were handed starts as the FAI confirmed that fellow frontman Shane Long had tested positive for coronavirus.
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