The £15 million pound weekend signing of Middlesbrough centre back Ben Gibson by Burnley would seem to spell bad news for Ireland defender Kevin Long. The long serving Cork man finally made the breakthrough last season providing a significant contribution to the ‘Clarets’ seventh place Premier League finish and breaking into the Ireland starting eleven where he has performed admirably alongside Shane Duffy. With the much heralded duo of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee still in situ at the club, playing opportunities in the upcoming season may well be limited for Long.