Glenn Whelan is like the Duracell Bunny and Mick McCarthy wouldn’t be surprised if he got one more season in the Premier League.
And the Ireland boss would also back Whelan’s Aston Villa midfield partner in crime Conor Hourihane to make a splash in the top flight.
Villa face West Brom on Saturday in the first-leg of their Championship semi-final playoff.
While Whelan’s days with Ireland were numbered under Martin O’Neill, the 35-year-old is back in the frame for McCarthy.
He caught the eye in the 1-0 win over Georgia in March and is expected to play a leading role away to Denmark next month.
But if Villa are promoted back to the Premier League, it remains to be seen if the Dubliner will be retained as he is out of contract in the summer.
McCarthy said: “I thought he was brilliant (against Georgia), I thought he was outstanding.
“Whether he can continue that in the Premier League, would they keep him and he be first choice? He's mixed and matched this season, sometimes with Conor.
“But he's a really proper player, a proper pro, he was great about the place. Whether he can keep on doing that, his body will tell him.
“I'm not going to tell him. Somebody else said he was retired prior to me coming in. But doing that job in front of the back four in midfield, I thought he was very fit.
“What interested me was even when we trained, he went off and did his own stuff afterwards. I was really impressed with him, doing a little bit extra, topped himself up.
“He knew what he needed to do and it wouldn't surprise me if they went up and he was there for a year.”
While O’Neill blooded Hourihane at senior level, the Corkman struggled to make the most of his Ireland opportunities.
But Hourihane is already thriving under McCarthy’s watch and the Ireland boss would have no qualms about him holding his own in the top flight if Villa go up.
"Technically, there’s no doubt about that for me,” said McCarthy. “He's a really good footballer. I wouldn't see why not, he'd have no problem playing there.
“But what will Villa do if they go up? I don't know. But he's a very capable player.”
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