Liam Delap has made the headlines after his brace salvaged a draw against Aston Villa but fellow Irish-qualified Ipswich star Jack Taylor boosted his own stock.
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimmson made it clear that he intended to make full use of the ‘granny rule’ in order to strengthen his squad soon after his appointment – something the nation has thrived on in the past.
Josh Cullen, Sammie Szmodics, Mikey Johnston, and Will Smallbone all were brought into the Ireland setup via familial links and one suspects there could be further additions down the line.
The FAI are even creating a new role that will specialise in identifying such players and Taylor has been on their radar, having already represented Ireland at underage level.
Now 26-years-old, the English-born Taylor made his Ireland U21 debut back in 2019 and was recognised as U21 Player of the Year in 2020.
He is yet to earn a senior cap but furthered his prospects on Sunday afternoon.
Fans call on Ireland to call-up Ipswich star Jack Taylor
Midfield has been an area of concern for Ireland in recent years but Taylor’s performance against Villa may have eased some of those worries.
Taylor had already shown quality from the bench this season and did so again in helping Ipswich build an attacking platform in the second-half against an in-form Villa at Portman Road.
Introduced in the 69th minute, his deft out-ball preceded Delap’s brilliant equaliser as the hosts caught Villa on the counter-attack.
Taylor was at it again just moments later, another pass from deep sparking a chance for Ipswich to get the win but Pau Torres showed his value with a timely block in defence.
There was plenty of love for Taylor on social media after his performance, with one Ipswich supporter writing: “Delap will get the plaudits and rightly so, but Jack Taylor was the game-changer today by the way.”
“Jack Taylor has really impressed me with his little cameo appearances this season… Another excellent showing from him off the bench today,” were the sentiments of another fan.
16 June 2023; Jack Taylor of Republic of Ireland before the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between Greece and Republic of Ireland at the OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Taylor was a member of the wider Ireland squad during the defeat against Greece in the UEFA Nations League earlier this month but did not make his senior debut.
Hallgrimsson is due to name his squad for Ireland’s next Nations League fixtures this Thursday and Taylor may have done his chances of selection a major service as he continues to settle into Premier League football.