‘She’s evolving into a top-class player’

Louise Quinn couldn’t be prouder of Katie McCabe.

Given the Republic of Ireland captaincy aged just 21, McCabe has steered the national team into a new era, with Colin Bell’s side well placed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in France.

 

Quinn has witnessed McCabe’s rise for club and country, and says she has the attributes and personality to become an even more important player.

 

“She’s brilliant, she’s exactly what a team needs,” Quinn told Arsenal Player. “She’s always full of energy, she brings people together, she brings the craic and the banter, and she’s exactly the team-mate that you want. She performs on the pitch as well, so she’s an all-rounder.

 

“As Irish team-mates, we’ve played together for a good few years now and to be at such a big club like Arsenal and do it together, it makes it that bit easier to feel that bit more at home, having an Irish team-mate here with me.

 

“I’ve seen Katie progress as well and she’s already been a top-class player, but you can see that she’s evolving more into that. It’s great to see and I’m delighted for her.

 

“She’s the captain but we have a lot of leaders in that team who all help each other through it. For her the future’s bright and she’s just going to keep growing into that role. There’s been a lot of changes to the squad as well but how she’s handled it has been professional. She’s matured into that role and it’s something that is only going to get better and better.

 

“There’s plenty more to come. She has the flair, she has the talent and to bring a leadership role to that will hopefully put her at the top of her game in the top bracket of players that are around. It’s something brilliant for her. It can take some time but so far she’s proving herself and she deserves it.”