Ex-international Alex Pearce hails 'gifted' Kasey McAteer ahead of Ireland declaration
Irish players congregate following the 4-0 win over Gibraltar in Faro, Portugal. Credit: Conor Ryan (ETPhotos)
Former Republic of Ireland defender Alex Pearse is excited by the prospect of his former Wimbledon team-mate Kasey McAteer declaring for the Boys in Green.
Stephen Kenny hinted in the aftermath of Monday’s 4-0 victory over Gibraltar in Faro that he was close to securing the services of a Championship winger - an area Ireland are light in.
And the Leicester City wideman - who has become a regular under new boss Enzo Maresca - fits the bill both for Kenny and an elated Pearce.
They were team-mates last season when the Northampton-born flier was on loan at the Dons for the second half of the season.
McAteer, who made his Premier League debut at the King Power Stadium in a 4-0 win over Newcastle United in 2021, previously had a spell on loan at Forest Green Rovers.
He has scored five goals in nine appearances for the Foxes so far this season - including a consolation in the 3-1 EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool last month.
And seven-times-capped former Reading defender Pearce, 34, believes 21-year-old McAteer is a complete player with “a bit of everything.”
England-born Pearce told the Irish Daily Mirror: “We could see straight away as soon as he joined the club how good he was.
“He is technically very gifted, there’s a good size to him, he’s athletic, he can run; he has basically got a bit of everything.
“And he has shown how much he has come on because he has gotten into the Leicester team this year - and he has scored goals too.
“You could definitely see the potential when he was at our club last year.
“It’s fantastic for him and he will be a great asset for the country, to be sure.”
