Town boss Mick McCarthy felt Blues striker Daryl Murphy was excellent in the games he played for the Republic of Ireland at the European Championships in France. The 33-year-old, who joins up with the Blues squad for pre-season training today having been given additional time off, was an unused sub for the first two group games before starting the victory over Italy and the round-of-16 defeat to the hosts.
"I was delighted he played,” former Ireland boss McCarthy said. "Murph said that at the end of the season when we couldn’t go up I made sure he was fit for the Euros, and having done that I’m pleased that he got to play.
"And I thought he was excellent in the games he played. I thought they found him a real handful to cope with.
"He’s had a couple of weeks off and he’s back in on Tuesday, then he’ll be looking to be involved in the games from then on.”