James McClean to wear number five jersey

James McClean is due to wear the number five jersey against Wales this Friday, to commemorate the memory of Derry City captain Ryan McBride.

An FAI spokesperson confirmed to the Irish Independent that the West Brom player will wear the jersey for the crucial World Cup qualifier, regardless of whether he starts or not.

Defender Richard Keogh is expected to start at centre-half for Ireland, but is said to have agreed to swap with McClean for the occasion, where a special tribute is being planned for McBride at the Aviva Stadium.

McClean, who has been given time off from Ireland training this week to attend McBride's funeral, paid a moving tribute to his friend on social media.

 

Tonight we lost someone i had the privilege to play along aside but also got on well with of the field, a warrior that literally would throw his body on the line when he pulled on that Derry City jersey, a club that meant so much to him, but more importantly a big gentleman of the field.. sleep tight big man may god bless you and your family 😔🔴⚪️ #5 #townilovedsowell

A post shared by Jimmymac_11 (@jimmymac_11) on Mar 19, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT

27-year-old McBride was found dead in his bedroom on Sunday, having just played against Drogheda United on Saturday.

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