IRELAND U21 BOSS Stephen Kenny says Gavin Kilkenny is in contention to start as his side face Armenia in their second Euros qualifier in Tallaght Stadium tomorrow night.
The Irish boss admits Kilkenny was not initially high up the pecking order when he took on the U21 hotseat, but has been impressed by the 19-year-old’s progression in recent months.
Kilkenny scored and delivered a man-of-the-match display as Bournemouth beat Lyon 3-0 in pre season.
Bournemouth coach Eddie Howe suggested the former St Kevin’s Boys player was not far off the first team after that eye-catching performance, and he went on to make his competitive debut for the club in the League Cup against Forest Green last month.
Kilkenny’s form, coupled with injuries to other important players such as Neil Farrugia and Connor Ronan, means the Dubliner could be handed a first start at U21 level, having previously played for Ireland U17s and U19s.
“There have been changes,” Kenny explained, referencing the team’s open qualification win over Luxembourg back in March.
It’s not like a club where you pick the same team the following week. Some players have been injured in the interim, maybe fallen out of form, while others have all of a sudden started to do well. That’s the way it goes.
“Someone like Gavin Kilkenny really wasn’t on my radar and hadn’t been in the 19s, now all of a sudden he’s had a really good pre-season at Bournemouth and got in the team and done well and scored a good goal against Lyon.
“He has developed physically in that year and has pushed himself into the frame. I wasn’t even considering him in March. The three players in the team in March as the attacking midfield players were Neil Farrugia and Connor Ronan and they’re both out injured and then Zack Elbouzedi who has hardly played because he dislocated his shoulder in Toulon and had a hamstring strain at Waterford coming back and has hardly played. He’s hardly played 90 minutes since then
“It doesn’t have momentum from March, because it could be a different three there and trying to form relationships and connections, but that’s the nature of it.”
Kenny added that he hadn’t seen Kilkenny play in the flesh since the start of the season, though he originally intended to travel to the Forest Green game before his plans were changed.
I haven’t seen him since the pre-season but I’d seen him before and I have obviously watched all of his matches on WyScout or whatever. I had planned to go to the Forest Green match last Wednesday, but the press conference was moved to Wednesday then and I had to change my plans.
“He played in the centre of the midfield in a four-four-two in that one. He was always a very light winger, but he played as the only young player in that team. He was the only young player they brought in and he never gives the ball away. He is one of those players who doesn’t lose possession.”
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