Over the next few months there will be a need for the current generation of Irish footballers to show just how good they can be.

Giovanni Trapattoni has already started his search for the next crop of players that will fill out his squad and provide him with new options ahead of the 2012 European Championship Qualifiers.

One player that he will want to see a noticeable improvement in is Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson.

The 22-year-old has been on the fringes for club and country over the past year, but now is the time for him to transform into a regular starter.

There is some firepower in his artillery

When people usually mention Gibson they talk about his long-range shooting as he posseses a fearsome shot that most midfielders crave to have.

Last week he scored twice for Man United in the Carling Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur. Both were well executed shots from just outside the opposition's penalty area.

Earlier in the game, he hinted at breaking the deadlock in this fashion when he dragged a shot wide after a clever pass from Dimitar Berbatov. Spurs should have taken that as a warning.

While he clearly wasn't marked tight enough, Gibson has a tendency to pop up in positions to shoot from long-range due to the timing of his runs - he tends to arrive just in time and rarely before the threat has been dealt with.

Laid-back approach requires a boost

When you watch Gibson in action, it can often look like he is short of pace or lazily trudging around the pitch. This is just his style, but he needs to refine it.

For Man United, he is tasked with playing a holding role in midfield a lot of time, while for Ireland he has been used in a way of harrassing the opposition.

If he is to make the breakthrough for both teams, then he must adapt to the two different roles. He is certainly capable of it, although changes must be made.

An extra bit of intensity would do the trick as his laid-back approach can sometimes result in the game passing him by at crucial stages and his intended impact not being hammered through enough.

For club and country

Is Gibson good enough to play regularly for Man United? Not yet, but he isn't far off from it.

Can he take Keith Andrews' place in the Irish team? Quite possibly. Again he needs to show that his all-round game has improved and must impress in upcoming friendly matches.

With a crisp short passing game and the ability to pick out long passes, he can spread play with relative ease. It is just a matter of improving his running game now and ensuring he can contribute just as well in attack and defence.

Gibson is on his way to developing into a quality midfielder and his timing on this could be spot on as Ireland could do with another strong option in the centre.

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