Shane Long gets off to a bright start on RTE as he starts a new chapter

Few strikers ever feature in the top flight for that long - of any nationality. Many feel that the Premier League has never had a better finisher than Robbie Fowler - he started in 15 Premier League campaigns, just one more than Shane Long.

There is no argument. The greatest career by an Irish footballer in the Premier League era is that of Roy Keane.

Captain of Manchester United - maybe the biggest club in the world - during their most successful era. Not just captain, Keane was often their most important player.

Keane's Premier League career was the best by an Irishman, but the weirdest must be that of Shane Long.

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On a wet December evening in 2021, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl named his team to play Tottenham - Long was included.

It was his first Premier League start since a scoreless draw against Fulham on December 26, 2020. It also meant that he had started a game in 14 different Premier League seasons.

How long will we have to wait until an Irish striker does that again? In the globalised era - and with the impact of Brexit kicking in - it has never been harder for Irish youngsters to make it across the water.

Evan Ferguson may well match Long's longevity in the top flight but he has a road to travel yet.

Few strikers ever feature in the top flight for that long - of any nationality. Many feel that the Premier League has never had a better finisher than Robbie Fowler - he started in 15 Premier League campaigns, just one more than Long.

How many realise that Long now started in as many Premier League seasons as Robbie Keane?

The difference, clearly, is his goals return. Fowler and Keane delivered on a regular basis, Long has never been able to do so.

That's the weirdness and strangeness of Long's longevity, but it was interesting to hear Kevin Doyle talk up his friend's quality on RTE on Wednesday night.

At his best, Long was a real handful. His best return came in the 2015/16 when he scored 10 goals for Southampton in the top flight - the only time he reached double figures in the Premier League.

That caused plenty to sit up and take notice. In the summer of 2016, both Liverpool and surprise champions Leicester City gave serious thought to making a move for Long.

Both clubs' interest was reported at the time, and it wasn't just idle and baseless transfer speculation. There was substance to the reports.

Long had been voted Southampton's Player of the Season, and the buzz around him was palpable.

But the big move never came, and Long is now getting ready for the after life. He told RTE's Peter Collins on Wednesday that he'd taken a year out and was now ready to move on from football, giving the media a go, for starters.

What Long didn't mention was that he returned to play club hurling in Tipperary in the summer. Something else that sets him apart from your average professional footballer.

Long made an assured and confident punditry debut alongside Doyle. The latter thinks he can be an exceptional coach, if he goes down that route. Whatever happens, it'll be worth keeping an eye on Long.

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