Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is set to hand Scott Hogan his first international call-up for next month’s crucial World Cup qualifiers, reports The Daily Mail.
Ireland’s chances of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup currently hang in the balance and they must win both of their remaining fixtures to have any realistic chance of progressing.
O’Neill’s side laboured to a 1-1 draw with Georgia before being beaten 1-0 at home to group leaders Serbia during the international break to set up two huge fixtures against Moldova and rivals Wales at the start of October.
Ireland, who are currently third in Group D, have only scored nine goals in eight qualifiers this campaign and O’Neill will turn to Villa striker Hogan in a bid to bolster their offensive options next month.
The Salford-born striker delayed his decision regarding his international future after completing a £12m switch from Brentford to Villa in January, but is finally ready to declare for Ireland after productive talks with O’Neill over the summer.
Hogan’s grandparents are from Ireland and the 25-year-old should have an Irish passport in time for Ireland’s next two matches, which start with a home fixture against Moldova on October 6.
The Championship striker has struggled to live up to his price tag since joining Villa and is still looking for his first league goal of the season after four appearances.
From August 2015 to January 2016, Hogan scored 21 goals in 32 Championship appearances for Brentford at a rate every 115.3 minutes, but since moving to Villa has only managed to net once in 17 league games – now requiring 1026 minutes per goal.
