Just as it was beginning to crank into gear, the Scott Hogan Bandwagon may be grinding to a halt. The Brentford striker has been in sensational form this season, and has netted 20 goals since returning from a cruciate knee injury. That form has caught the attention of Martin O'Neill, who has invited him into the Irish fold, following some encouraging noises from Hogan's agent.
Hogan has yet to commit to Ireland, however, saying up to now that he wanted to concentrate on his club career and recovering from that knee injury.
Per Paul Rowan of The Sunday Times, Hogan is line for a big-money transfer to Norwich City, believed to be in the region of £10 million, and, via a source close to the player, writes that Hogan "feels English, and that is his number one priority".
The fact that Norwich are willing to splurge eight figures on Hogan halfway through the season would give credence to his belief that he is good enough to play for England, making that Ireland declaration less likely.
Although, perhaps Hogan will grow so fond of deliveries from Robbie Brady and Wes Hoolahan at Carrow Road that he will declare for us anyway.
Elsewhere, one player tearing things up in the Championship who is not conflicted about declaring for Ireland is Conor Hourihane. The Corkman is the captain of Barnsley, and having assisted three goals in one game last weekend, he scored a cracker against Norwich yesterday afternoon.
Skip to 45 seconds into the clip below.
[The Sunday Times]
