Daryl Murphy has confirmed his intention to retire from international football.
Murphy is the first player to retire after the 5-1 loss to Denmark, a game that he started in. The target man made 27 appearances for the Republic of Ireland but at 34 feels now is a good time to walk away.
Speaking to the Herald, Murphy confirmed he had told Martin O'Neill about his decision.
I spoke to Martin on Thursday and I just told him that I wanted to retire. It's a sad decision to make but one I feel I have to make. I have been thinking about this for a long time but I know it's the right decision. I think it's mainly my age, I am 34, at that age I see no sense in carrying on. I think Martin is going down a route with younger players anyway so maybe the time is right.
It was a tough decision, a really tough decision as I feel good and am in good shape but you know when your time is up.
Murphy did not make his debut until 2007 due to a Robbie Keane injury and his first goal came in 2016 away to Serbia. He also scored twice against Moldova last year. The twilight of his career saw Murphy hit his peak in a green jersey and he has enjoyed a good year thus far with his club, Nottingham Forest.
His retirement paves the way for Martin O'Neill to introduce some youth into the national side, now that it is confirmed he is staying on. With a relatively tame 2018 ahead, it could prove a good year to integrate some new faces into the squad.
