Mason Melia

The 17-year-old will join Tottenham for an initial fee of €1.9 million in January 2026. The fee for Melia, which could potentially rise to over €4 million based on performance clauses, broke the League of Ireland transfer record at the time, although the deal has since been eclipsed by Victor Ozhianvuna’s €2 million move to Arsenal from Shamrock Rovers last month. Melia has backed up the inevitable hype that greeted his upcoming transfer to the North London club. The Wicklow native is enjoying an excellent season for a St Patrick’s Athletic side who are fourth in the Premier Division table with seven games to play. The teenager has 10 goals and three assists from 28 Premier Division matches, as Stephen Kenny’s side aim to repeat last season’s achievement of securing European football.

James Abankwah

Of the 23 players selected in the latest Ireland U21 squad, few, if any, players appear closer to the senior squad than James Abankwah. The 21-year-old was even called up by Heimir Hallgrímsson for the March Nations League games against Bulgaria, but is still awaiting his first cap at that level. It’s easy to see why the Ireland senior boss admires the Waterford native. Unlike many of his compatriots, Abankwah has considerable experience at senior level. The youngster made nine Premier Division appearances for St Patrick’s Athletic in 2021 before signing with Udinese and then featuring in a further 11 games for the Saints in a loan move. Abankwah remains on the books at the Italian club, having played eight times in Serie A, but is now in his second loan spell at Watford, playing 19 times in the Championship last season. More than 50 appearances overall at senior level would leave many young players in contention for a senior call-up, but with Ireland well stocked at centre-back, Abankwah has to be patient for now.

Trent Kone-Doherty

Another bright prospect, the Liverpool attacker has received his first U21 call-up in this window. The 19-year-old joined local club Derry City at the age of 13 before making the move to Anfield in 2022 for a reported six-figure fee, with Celtic also showing interest in the youngster. Since then, Kone-Doherty has made more progress. He has impressed at underage level, lighting up the Uefa Youth League among other competitions. The teenager was then rewarded with a place among the substitutes for Liverpool’s Champions League clash with PSV in January, and made his first-team debut off the bench the following month in the 1-0 defeat by Plymouth in the FA Cup. Reds manager Slot isn’t afraid to give youngsters a chance — 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha last month became the youngest goalscorer in history by hitting the winner against Newcastle — and Kone-Doherty will hope he is next in line.

Uefa European U21 Championship Qualifiers (kick-offs are Irish time)

4 September | Moldova U21 v Ireland U21, Nisporeni Central, Nisporeni, Moldova, KO 5pm

9 September | Ireland U21 v Andorra U21, Tallaght Stadium, Dublin, KO 7.30pm