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Aoife Mannion. PA
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Manchester United defender in line for Ireland call-up

Aoife Mannion has been name-checked by Vera Pauw.

MANCHESTER UNITED DEFENDER Aoife Mannion could be in line for a call-up to the Republic of Ireland women’s national team ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

Speaking on The Green Machine podcast in recent days, Ireland manager Vera Pauw confirmed that she is considering adding former England underage international Mannion to her ranks.

The 27-year-old — born in Solihull to two Irish parents, and a classmate of Jack Grealish’s at St Peter’s School — returned to the United matchday squad for the first time since February on Saturday after recovering from a cruciate ligament knee injury.

After the Girls In Green secured qualification for a first-ever major tournament in Australia and New Zealand 2023, Pauw revealed: “We qualify and suddenly there is a lot of players with Irish backgrounds emailing you.” 

The Dutch coach stressed the need for “a very tight connection with Ireland,” and has offered several updates in recent weeks. Earlier this month, she explained that “there are four players that we are seriously looking at and following”.

“They have to be really, really better than what we have – and indeed Aoife Mannion is one of them,” Pauw told The Green Machine. “She’s coming back from an ACL injury, so we’re hoping that she will be ready, but she’s in the pipeline, and we’re dealing with her eligibility.

“After we qualified there were a lot putting their names in, but we will only use them if they have a very strong relationship with Ireland. Aoife’s parents were born in Ireland, she will be in Ireland for Christmas and new year with her grandparents, so there is a very strong connection there. But players who now jump in and think, ‘Oh, I’ve got a granny somewhere, I’ll get a passport and then I’ll play for Ireland,’ we don’t [go] for that, unless they are really, really good.

“If they are equal level, then I will choose the players who have done it, of course. This bond that we have, you can only keep it if there is that trust. But every single player would want someone who could make us stronger to come in.”

Mannion, who represented England from U15 to U23 level, received two senior Lionesses call-ups, but did not feature.

She also played Gaelic football in Birmingham as a youngster, and was on the books of Brum, Aston Villa and Manchester City before joining United in 2021.

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