ANDREW MORAN would certainly not have expected to be one of the main talking points in this international window, but through no fault of his own, the 20-year-old became part of the anti-Stephen Kenny narrative.

When a manager is hugely successful, he tends to be portrayed as a man with a Midas touch — even the smallest, most insignificant decisions are perceived by some to be ingenious.

Conversely, when the team and the coach are struggling, as happened with Kenny — the FAI announced his departure this evening — the most minor calls are blown out of proportion and attract undue criticism.

The Andrew Moran criticism seemed like a case in point. If the senior team were regularly winning and in great form, it is hard to imagine it would attract significant attention. Yet instead, the peripheral presence of the in-form Blackburn youngster has become another stick to beat Kenny with.

Speaking on RTÉ at the weekend, pundit Didi Hamann described Kenny’s decision to promote Moran from the U21 team to the senior side as “inexcusable” — it was a view shared by others, with fellow pundit Shay Given agreeing that Moran should have been kept with Jim Crawford’s squad.

Hamann also indicated the FAI should have intervened and taken the decision out of the senior manager’s hands in what would surely be the first example of external influences dictating an Irish team selection since the dreaded days of the selection committee many decades ago.

The logic was that the U21 matches were qualifiers whereas the senior team had a dead rubber against Netherlands and a friendly with New Zealand.

Ireland U21s went into this window with a 100% record in qualifying, yet ended up taking one point from a possible six against Norway and Italy, in the process suffering a significant setback to the team’s qualification hopes.

The fact that Moran didn’t appear until the 78th minute against New Zealand will have exacerbated the frustration of those unhappy with the call in the first place.

Although defending leads appeared to be more of an issue than producing the type of end product for which Moran is renowned, Crawford’s men undoubtedly would have had a better chance of winning both games if he had been available.

Yet the pertinent question is whether Ireland U21 games should ever be deemed more important than senior internationals.

Stephen Kenny will almost certainly feel that is not the case.

Even friendlies have a degree of importance — Fifa ranking points are up for grabs, which can in turn impact seeding and qualification for major tournaments.

They are also an important opportunity to experiment and test young players to determine if they are ready for competitive international football.

So surely, trying players out in these circumstances is more advantageous in the long term than winning an U21 qualifier.

Most people would agree that the duty of Kenny or any senior international manager is to pick the best available players possible.

Moreover, as the old cliche decrees, if you are old enough, you are good enough.

Part of the reason Ireland have never qualified for a major tournament at U21 level is that the best young players often bypass this age group. Damien Duff and Robbie Keane, for instance, were both fast-tracked to the first team. They were 21 and 23 respectively at the 2002 World Cup. Would they have been better prepared for that tournament if they had spent most of their time in the lead-up playing for the U21s?

There is nothing quite like the pressure of senior football, and the more exposure players like Andrew Moran get to this level, the quicker they are likely to develop. It is also the reason why nearly every Premier League manager will invariably opt to put a prodigiously talented youngster on the bench for a top-flight game amid the prospect of a potential cameo as opposed to starting them week in, week out with the reserve side.

And how do you measure the degree of importance? Do people in Hamann’s camp feel U21 qualifiers are of greater significance than Nations League games, or just friendlies and qualification dead rubbers?

Ireland’s next Nations League campaign won’t take place until September, so by that logic, should not only Moran, but Gavin Bazunu and Evan Ferguson — both of whom remain eligible — also be called up/down to the U21 squad in March for their qualifier with San Marino, as opposed to giving the (presumably new) senior manager a chance to look at them in whatever friendly is arranged for that period?

Moreover, Will Smallbone, Evan Ferguson, Chiedozie Ogbene and Jamie McGrath were all doubts ahead of this window. It turns out two of those players were available ultimately but Kenny could not assume that was the case, nor did he necessarily know for sure that Moran would not be needed in Amsterdam. Would he have been better off calling up a less deserving player to the senior side so that the U21 team had a slightly better chance of a positive result?

To suggest the U21 squad should ever take precedence over the senior team is at best a contentious claim.

Crawford still has several talented players at his disposal who performed impressively during the unfortunate 2-2 draw with Italy on Tuesday night.

After five games played they still have every chance of qualifying as they sit just a point behind group leaders Italy and in the playoff place as it stands.

There were very few complaints in the past when Kenny promoted players from the U21 setup — in fact, previous Ireland managers were often criticised for doing the opposite and all too frequently overlooking talented youngsters.

But before the Dubliner’s exit was confirmed, there was a growing and unfair perception that he could do nothing right.

- Updated 7.08pm to reflect confirmation of Stephen Kenny’s departure.