Gary Breen was keen to sing the praises of Irish defender John Egan on OTB AM this morning. He capped off a brilliant run of form with a cracking finish for Sheffield United against Burnley yesterday afternoon.
"His learning curve has been steep - that's the reason why now at his age, 27, he has real maturity," he told OTB AM, adding that he could talk about his qualities all day long.
The former-Ireland defender highlighted the benefits of Egan's unconventional route to the top flight, which saw him play in every tier of English football:
"For any young center half, even if you are at a top club now, I'd still want them to go out and play in the lower leagues to learn what it's like.
"To learn about the physicality of it, your decision making, the fact that if you make a mistake it costs you points. It costs people jobs."
Breen also stressed the defender's ability with the ball at his feet. Sheffield United's unconventional attacking play leaves him responsible for both managing a lot of space while players bomb-forward, and requires him to have the technical ability to play in a "footballing" team like Chris Wilder's side.
He added that a center half with these qualities is extremely hard to find and agreed with Ger Gilroy when he suggested that he could either be in-line for a hefty offer to keep him with The Blades, or could start to attract interest from other top clubs.
Two years remain on his current deal with the club.
Carlo Ancelotti's Everton are among the sides linked with the Irish center-half.
WHAT. A. FINISH. ☘️
John Egan with the equaliser 👏pic.twitter.com/RqC7qJrNbk— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) July 5, 2020
John Egan and Ireland
The Corkman has played almost 300 competitive matches, including stints at Southend United, Gillingham FC, and Bradford City. Two major leg injuries in 2012 and 2016 complicated his journey to the Premier League.
Gary Breen has no doubt that he will play a massive role in Stephen Kenny's Irish side.
He expects him to start in a back four when international action resumes.
Three at the back looks good on paper - but Ireland won't play it 🇮🇪
Here's Gary Breen explaining why ➡️ https://t.co/1j2dF6BItW pic.twitter.com/2TJDFSg3Cx— Off The Ball (@offtheball) July 6, 2020
