AS EMERGENCY COVER goes, the arrival of Blackburn Rovers’ Sam Szmodics into the Republic of Ireland fold can only be a positive.
Being able to call up the joint top scorer in the English Championship, a player performing with a level of confidence and belief that has never been higher in his career, should infuse some positivity over the coming days.
Considering Ireland’s perilous position in Group B of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, with automatic qualification out of reach and a play-off spot extremely unlikely, such optimism will be needed.
Whether he actually features is an another matter entirely given manager Stephen Kenny already made it clear at the initial squad announcement last week ahead of this double header with Greece and Gibraltar that the 28-year-old was not in his plans.
“I know he has probably played more than, say, Callum Robinson, who has only come back recently. But Callum knows exactly how we play, we’ve three days to prepare for the game against Greece and we want to make sure that everyone knows exactly where we are,” Kenny reasoned.
“I just don’t want any more changes, because we have had a lot of change. I’m not looking for any more at the moment.”
Aaron Connolly’s withdrawal due to injury has made Kenny think again, but it’s unlikely that Szmodics will feel too put out or aggrieved at his initial exclusion. It was the current Ireland boss who first brought him into the fold for a training camp two years ago, and while injury has prevented him from making his debut just yet an opportunity may soon present itself.
A delay in the paperwork to finalise his Irish passport meant that also only arrived earlier this year. Patience has been needed elsewhere for Szmodics. He already dealt with, and benefitted from, some tough love from Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.
When the player arrived at the former Premier League champions in the summer of 2022 from League One Peterborough United – where he initially caught the eye of Kenny and was deemed worth of a closer look – early struggles getting to grips with the rigours of the Championship saw him sent to the club’s U-23s to try and get up to speed.
Szmodics took that as an opportunity rather than a slight, no surprise given he worked his way up from local club Colchester United’s academy, and his willingness to maintain focus is understood to have impressed the Blackburn boss.
Kenny will be hoping he can have a similar impact over the coming week.
While Szmodics, who qualifies through his late grandmother from Longford, is not a like for like replacement for Connolly he does provide an element of versatility across three spots in the attacking line, as well centrally as an advanced midfielder.
His form alone means his late inclusion won’t be viewed as a complete outsider getting a chance out of nowhere. He has come to the fore at Ewood Park over the first few months of this season playing centrally and has been the focal point of an attack, operating as a false nine with licence to drop deep as well as providing a threat in behind.
In terms of the current pecking order those traits would put him behind Evan Ferguson and Adam Idah who are both included, but it would appear that Szmodics has leapfrogged Troy Parrott for the time being.
The 21-year-old is finding fitness, form and the net in the early stages of his loan spell with Excelsior Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivise.
Two of his goals have caught the eye in recent weeks and considering Kenny’s emphasis on turning to players who are already up to speed with how he operates, it might have been expected that his greater understanding of the Ireland set-up would provide an avenue back into the international fold.
The Dubliner must instead focus on finding consistency in Rotterdam to come back into contention for next month’s friendly with New Zealand.
In the meantime, it’s Szmodics who has the chance to impress close up.
