IRELAND HAVE a number of talented young players at their disposal.
One notable example is Evan Ferguson, who at the tender age of 17, has already made a Premier League debut for Brighton as well as appearing for the Irish U21 side on five occasions, though he misses the game with Sweden (kick-off: 5pm, live on RTÉ2) later today through injury.
The Dubliner, however, is practically an experienced campaigner compared to Sweden’s latest wonderkid – Roony Bardghji, 13 months his junior, who could feature at the Borås Arena this evening.
Born in Kuwait to a Syrian family before moving to Sweden aged seven, Bardghji has already been the subject of a four-part documentary, ’372 days’ with the timeframe of the programme spanning from the day he signed his first contract to his professional debut, six days after turning 16.
So far this season, he has already appeared seven times in the Danish top-flight and twice in the Europa Conference League, scoring two goals in that period.
According to a recent Goal.com profile, Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ajax are among the clubs to have sent scouts to watch Bardghji.
Irish U21s boss Jim Crawford might initially have felt a degree of relief at the news that Man United star Anthony Elanga had been promoted to the Swedish senior squad. However, it potentially paves the way for Bardghji to come into the side, with the winger capable of doing serious damage, as his YouTube clips (see below) illustrate.
Whether he starts though is uncertain.
“We don’t know,” says Crawford. “They will guess what our starting XI will be, as we will, there’s no doubt about it, he’s playing in a top league in Denmark, he’s a real talent, for someone so young. I believe there are top clubs, Chelsea, Munich, looking for his services.
“You also have to remember they had Elanga in the last game, and Lee O’Connor dealt with him unbelievably well, so whatever they throw at us we will be prepared.
“He is a sensational talent but you have to look at certain players we have in our squad, high potential too.”
After it is pointed out that Bardghji is over a year younger than Ferguson, Crawford adds: “I find it hard to believe, and scoring goals as well in a first-team. It will be interesting. I do know their manager has been asked about that player. I expect he’d probably feature at some stage during the game.”
Crawford, too, has options in his attacking areas. Darragh Burns (St. Patrick’s Athletic), JJ Kayode (Rotherham United), Mipo Odubeko (Doncaster Rovers, on loan from West Ham United), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Colm Whelan (UCD) and Tyreik Wright (Colchester United, on loan from Aston Villa) are among the players who will be hoping to feature for the vital qualifier.
Who plays from the outset, however, is unclear. While the selection of the goalkeeper, defence and sitting midfielders has been relatively consistent throughout the campaign, Crawford has regularly chopped and changed in the attacking areas.
“The base of the team has been very consistent but upfront, it’s different games, different strategies, opportunities for other players to go in and show what they can do. It’ll always be that way. If someone is scoring goals for you, they’ll cement their place. At the minute, it’s giving players a go and seeing which players fit into style and formation the best.”
One player they will have to do without is Festy Ebosele, the 19-year-old from Enniscorthy who has been having an excellent season in the Championship with Derby County and recently secured a move to Serie A side Udinese.
“Festy is a big loss, it’s for family reasons that he’s not here,” says Crawford. “It’s unfortunate, I met him a couple of times, he’s disappointed in one sense but we just wish him and the family the best. He is a loss, everyone knows about his pace and power, the form he has played in at Derby County, albeit he has played left-back, right-back, wide right, that just shows his versatility as a player, but one thing is for sure, he’s a fantastic attacking threat with his pace.
“I have looked at most of the games he has played in and teams are doubling up on him already, for such a young player, he certainly has high potential. I just wish him the best with his new move to Italy.
“He has gone to Serie A and you hope he goes and plays first-team football, it’s a different type of football to what he’s been used to in the Championship, there will be a lot more tactical emphasis with certain games but with [fellow Irish underage international] James Abankwah going there you have two Irish boys, it will help them settle in the country.
“Festy is initially going to move over with his girlfriend, he’s certainly looking forward to it and I wish him well. There’s no doubt about it, he will develop over there, I just hope that as soon as possible he can get into the first team, that could be a real catalyst in terms of his own development.”
This week on the Front Row – The42’s new rugby podcast in partnership with Guinness – panellist Eimear Considine makes a welcome return… and she’s brought her Ireland roommate, Hannah O’Connor, along too. They chat about broken noses, tanning routines, initiation songs and balancing the Women’s Six Nations with teaching, plus how one fan named her child after Ireland winger Beibhinn Parsons! Click here to subscribe or listen below:
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