Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins has described Cameron Dummigan's omission from the latest Northern Ireland squad as a "weird one".
Dummigan has starred for Derry this season and was named man of the match by Pat Fenlon in Sunday's FAI Cup win over Shamrock Rovers.
Higgins admits he is surprised the 26-year-old hasn't been linked with any of Ian Baraclough's international squads, and believes the former Crusaders player would be an ideal fit in the senior panel.
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“Dummigan for me over the course of the season, has been unbelievably consistent for the club,” he told the Derry Journal.
“I know he had a bit of a groin injury midway through the season, around May, when we were struggling and it held him back a bit, but before and after that he has been first class.
“He’s playing at an extremely high level, a really, really high level and a lot of people in our league, indeed a lot of managers and coaches have the opinion that he’s in the very, very top bracket of players in this league so I just find it strange that he hasn’t even been mentioned or looked at for any squad.
“I don’t think he has been on any stand-by list or anything like that and given the form that he has been in this season it’s a weird one.
“You see that there have been League of Ireland players in Ireland squads over the years and I’m not telling anyone how to do their job, this is just my opinion and the games about opinions, but Cameron should at least be in the conversation without a shadow of a doubt.”
Higgins believes Dummigan's versatility would make him a positive addition to Northern Ireland's squad, especially with some international windows placing significant demands on players with three to four games in the space of 10 days.
“ I think a player like him would be very helpful to have in a squad,” Higgins said.
“But again, it’s only my opinion though having worked with him everyday this season, and previously at Dundalk, I’m surprised he’s not getting a mention.
“Now maybe people from the IFA have been watching him but I haven’t been aware of that. It is a bit strange to me that he’s not even in a conversation and given the form he’s in, the consistency he has shown and the amount of different positions he can play in, it surprises me a bit.”
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