OWEN ELDING WILL receive his Irish citizenship next month and should be eligible for international fixtures this summer, U21 manager Jim Crawford has confirmed.
Crawford named his squad for the upcoming Euro qualifiers against Moldova and Kazakhstan this afternoon, both of which Elding remains out of contention for amidst a drawn-out process.
The 20-year-old striker impressed with Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland, before carrying his fine form to Hibernian, whom he signed for in January.
Born in England, Elding moved to Ireland after father Anthony signed for the Bit O’Red in 2013 but has not yet got the green light to pull on the green jersey.
Crawford offered a significant update today: “He’ll be getting his citizenship mid-April. After that, then he goes and gets his passport and then he’ll be eligible to play for us
“It’s just been a long process that’s been out of our hands. We’ve tried everything we can and we’ve been told in no uncertain terms that this is the way it works. So we’ve got to accept that.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Owen has gone to the level that he has and excelled at that level because we’ve all seen what he can do domestically with Sligo. If everything was done (by now), who knows? He could have been involved in the senior team in this window with the injuries that have come up for Heimir [Hallgrímsson].
Advertisement
“But for me, we can get April out of the way where he’ll have his citizenship and then get his passport, and then from a 21s perspective, he’d be open to come in to play for us in June. Or he might be involved in the May camp as well, who knows?”
Asked about Elding’s fast start to life at Hibs, where he has scored two goals in his last four starts, Crawford said: “It’s a really good move for him.
“You see players that will go away to clubs where it’s a hell of a lot more of a challenge to break into the first team, but he’s gone into a good environment where he’ll get first team minutes, and he’s gone and he’s scored goals. He’s been playing really well.”
“It’s been frustrating,” he added, on the lengthy process. “You’d like all your best players available to you for every window, but that hasn’t been the case with Owen. Owen would have been in our squads, that’s for sure, but there is a process and you have to respect the process.
“All we have to do now is be patient. We’ve been given a date, I think it’s April 12, he’ll be given his citizenship and from then we’ll crack on.”
Mason Melia was another notable omission from the 23-man squad, in which Crawford handed first call-ups to Jaden Umeh (Benfica), Adam Brennan (Shamrock Rovers), Aaron Ochoa-Moloney (Malaga) and Sean Patton (Reading).
Ruled out: Mason Melia. Michael Zemanek / INPHO
Michael Zemanek / INPHO / INPHO
Melia, 18, has been recovering from a back injury at Tottenham Hotspur after his big-money move from St Patrick’s Athletic in January.
“He’s just building up with Spurs,” said Crawford. “He’s only been back on the grass the last couple of weeks after quite a lengthy layoff, he hasn’t played any competitive minutes yet at Spurs. I think it’s sensible that he stays where he is, where he’s being looked after very well, and hopefully he’ll get some games under his belt for the next window.”
Captain James Abankwah has also been marked absent, as the Watford defender is included in Hallgrímsson’s senior squad for next week’s World Cup playoff against Czechia.
Crawford paid tribute, telling The 42: “James is a great individual. He’s got some fantastic values as a person. When he first came into the 21s, he wasn’t playing as much as he liked and he challenged me on it. We had some constructive conversations about it, but for me, it gives you a taste that he’s got really good belief in himself and his ability.
“He’s definitely a player that we’ll miss, but you’re happy that he’s going into a senior environment and hopefully we’re on the verge of a World Cup campaign, which would be great for him. As much as he’s got belief in himself, we as a coaching staff at the 21s have got belief in him, that he can go on and reach his ceiling.”
Their focus is on Moldova and Kazakhstan, hosting the former at Tallaght Stadium next Thursday at 5.15pm – before all eyes turn to Prague. Crawford and co. will be hoping to bounce back from a shock 4-0 loss in Andorra in November.
“Look, it was a poor result, that’s for sure — off the back of a decent performance against England (2-0 loss), which made it even more disappointing. But in any time of adversity comes a lot of learning,” Crawford concluded.
“For me, we’ve got to learn from that and the players who were involved in the game, it’s an opportunity for them now to put it right. I have every belief in every single one of them that they can turn it over and that just was a blip. There will be a lot of learning from it. It was disappointing, but these things happen in football.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Ireland call-up looms as Owen Elding to receive citizenship next month
OWEN ELDING WILL receive his Irish citizenship next month and should be eligible for international fixtures this summer, U21 manager Jim Crawford has confirmed.
Crawford named his squad for the upcoming Euro qualifiers against Moldova and Kazakhstan this afternoon, both of which Elding remains out of contention for amidst a drawn-out process.
The 20-year-old striker impressed with Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland, before carrying his fine form to Hibernian, whom he signed for in January.
Born in England, Elding moved to Ireland after father Anthony signed for the Bit O’Red in 2013 but has not yet got the green light to pull on the green jersey.
Crawford offered a significant update today: “He’ll be getting his citizenship mid-April. After that, then he goes and gets his passport and then he’ll be eligible to play for us
“It’s just been a long process that’s been out of our hands. We’ve tried everything we can and we’ve been told in no uncertain terms that this is the way it works. So we’ve got to accept that.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Owen has gone to the level that he has and excelled at that level because we’ve all seen what he can do domestically with Sligo. If everything was done (by now), who knows? He could have been involved in the senior team in this window with the injuries that have come up for Heimir [Hallgrímsson].
“But for me, we can get April out of the way where he’ll have his citizenship and then get his passport, and then from a 21s perspective, he’d be open to come in to play for us in June. Or he might be involved in the May camp as well, who knows?”
Asked about Elding’s fast start to life at Hibs, where he has scored two goals in his last four starts, Crawford said: “It’s a really good move for him.
“You see players that will go away to clubs where it’s a hell of a lot more of a challenge to break into the first team, but he’s gone into a good environment where he’ll get first team minutes, and he’s gone and he’s scored goals. He’s been playing really well.”
“It’s been frustrating,” he added, on the lengthy process. “You’d like all your best players available to you for every window, but that hasn’t been the case with Owen. Owen would have been in our squads, that’s for sure, but there is a process and you have to respect the process.
“All we have to do now is be patient. We’ve been given a date, I think it’s April 12, he’ll be given his citizenship and from then we’ll crack on.”
Mason Melia was another notable omission from the 23-man squad, in which Crawford handed first call-ups to Jaden Umeh (Benfica), Adam Brennan (Shamrock Rovers), Aaron Ochoa-Moloney (Malaga) and Sean Patton (Reading).
Melia, 18, has been recovering from a back injury at Tottenham Hotspur after his big-money move from St Patrick’s Athletic in January.
“He’s just building up with Spurs,” said Crawford. “He’s only been back on the grass the last couple of weeks after quite a lengthy layoff, he hasn’t played any competitive minutes yet at Spurs. I think it’s sensible that he stays where he is, where he’s being looked after very well, and hopefully he’ll get some games under his belt for the next window.”
Captain James Abankwah has also been marked absent, as the Watford defender is included in Hallgrímsson’s senior squad for next week’s World Cup playoff against Czechia.
Crawford paid tribute, telling The 42: “James is a great individual. He’s got some fantastic values as a person. When he first came into the 21s, he wasn’t playing as much as he liked and he challenged me on it. We had some constructive conversations about it, but for me, it gives you a taste that he’s got really good belief in himself and his ability.
“He’s definitely a player that we’ll miss, but you’re happy that he’s going into a senior environment and hopefully we’re on the verge of a World Cup campaign, which would be great for him. As much as he’s got belief in himself, we as a coaching staff at the 21s have got belief in him, that he can go on and reach his ceiling.”
Their focus is on Moldova and Kazakhstan, hosting the former at Tallaght Stadium next Thursday at 5.15pm – before all eyes turn to Prague. Crawford and co. will be hoping to bounce back from a shock 4-0 loss in Andorra in November.
“Look, it was a poor result, that’s for sure — off the back of a decent performance against England (2-0 loss), which made it even more disappointing. But in any time of adversity comes a lot of learning,” Crawford concluded.
“For me, we’ve got to learn from that and the players who were involved in the game, it’s an opportunity for them now to put it right. I have every belief in every single one of them that they can turn it over and that just was a blip. There will be a lot of learning from it. It was disappointing, but these things happen in football.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Football Soccer Update