DEFENDERS NIAMH FAHEY and Aoife Mannion, midfielder Jess Ziu and forward Leanne Kiernan are all set to make their international returns from long-term injuries after being included in Eileen Gleeson’s Ireland squad to face Italy and Wales in friendlies this month.

There is a first call-up, meanwhile, for Wake Forest University attacker Emily Murphy, who qualifies for Ireland through her Dublin-born father and previously trained with the national squad in April 2021.

Liverpool skipper Fahey and her club teammate Kiernan return to the fold after injury absences of seven and eight months respectively, while it’s been 17 months since West Ham’s Ziu last featured for Ireland away to Slovakia in World Cup qualifying.

Manchester United’s Mannion, meanwhile, returns for the first time since the USA game in Austin, Texas, in April 2023.

Chloe Mustaki is ruled out with a groin injury, while both NWSL champion Sinead Farrelly and new Manchester City recruit Tara O’Hanlon are not quite ready for first-team action but should be available to feature in April’s Euro qualifiers.

Amber Barrett is another headline returnee, having been omitted for the final Nations League window before Christmas, while Megan Campbell is also back in the fold. Louise Quinn is a striking inclusion, having recently suffered a shoulder injury on club duty with Birmingham City. 

Along with Mustaki and Farrelly, Hayley Nolan, Erin McLaughlin, Saoirse Noonan, Emily Whelan, Ellen Dolan and Freya Healy all drop out from the last squad.

Former England U17 international Emily Murphy, meanwhile, has received her first official call-up three years after first training with Ireland.

Back in 2021, Vera Pauw said that the Windsor-born Murphy — then on loan at Birmingham from Chelsea — had not yet decided whether to declare for for her country of birth or for that of her father, who hails from Rathfarnham.

Murphy, now 20, is currently majoring in in Political Science at Wake Forest University, North Carolina, for whose soccer team she has scored six goals in 17 appearances.

Ireland will face Italy in Florence on Friday week (23 February) before hosting Wales at Tallaght Stadium the following Tuesday (27 February). They report to camp on Monday.

The two friendlies will serve as preparation for the upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers, which kick off in April following the draw on 5 March.

Republic of Ireland squad to face Italy and Wales

Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)

Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Reading – on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)

Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)

Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University)

Fixtures

• Friday, 23 February: Italy v Ireland, Viola Park, Florence, 5:15pm (RTÉ NewsNow)
• Tuesday, 27 February: Ireland v Wales, Tallaght Stadium, 7:30pm (RTÉ2)

- Additional reporting by Emma Duffy.