THERE WAS one new face as Vera Pauw named her Ireland squad for the upcoming Pinatar Cup tournament today.
16-year-old Shelbourne forward Abbie Larkin has been included and will receive game time, as Ireland begin preparations for a three-game tournament that will get underway on 16 February, as they face Poland in La Manga.
“You can see it as ‘a trialist,’ the way we bring her in,” Pauw said of the promising teenager. “She will get game time, but it’s more [for the experience]. She’s a huge talent and we want to know where she is, so an extra place for her.”
Larkin, who featured in last year’s FAI Cup final, will have to take time off school to compete in the tournament.
“We have had very good contact with her parents, it’s been arranged well,” Pauw added.
Asked how good she can potentially become, the Ireland boss replied: “We need to see. She’s doing very well at the moment, otherwise, we would not invite her, but her development, we need to follow. That’s one thing we need to take care of, also together with her club, I will say to keep her in one piece. She needs to stay injury-free during these weeks.”
After the Pinatar Cup, Ireland face a crucial World Cup qualifier against Sweden in April. So could Larkin be ready to feature in a competitive fixture at this early stage?
“I don’t know. That’s what we need to find out this week.
“If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Sherida Spitse will play her 200th cap for the Netherlands next week. She came in when she was 15. I was the coach. And she never left the squad. So it depends on the player. And female players are physically mature earlier than male players, about two years earlier.”
And Larkin is not the only young Irish player to have been thrown into the deep end of late. Wexford Youths youngster Ellen Molloy first came into the squad when she was 16 also, but Pauw still feels this case is different.
“Ellen is a different type of player. Very early, mature full-grown body, Abbie still has some steps to make in that. So we have to be very careful with her. We will not overload her.”
Pauw added that she was planning for every member of her 27-player squad to get minutes in Spain.
42-times-capped Megan Campbell was included in the squad for the first time since November 2020, but there is still some doubt as to whether she will feature.
The 28-year-old Drogheda native has experienced a turbulent few years with injury problems, moving from Man City to Liverpool in that period, though she has recently been able to put together a sustained run of games for the Reds.
“To be honest, it’s still a bit in doubt if she can make it. She has done intense rehab. It’s taken a long, long time before she could play again. But the moment she played, she immediately was the [fulcrum] of the squad. Immediately, when the ball came to her, she was doing something good with it. Defensively, she did not get into any problems. Already, she was a key defensive player too.
“But she has played too many games in too short a space of time. Even though she didn’t play full games, it was Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday. And maybe that was too much. Because this week, suddenly her knee swelled up.
“We’re very hopeful [she will play]. The medical staff is in contact with each other. We’re very hopeful that she makes it but of course, we don’t take any risks in that.”
One player who will come into the squad on a high is Diane Caldwell. The defender recently completed a move to Manchester United — the club she supported as a girl. The 33-year-old lost her place in the Ireland starting XI for the early World Cup qualifiers, with Savannah McCarthy preferred in the backline, but Caldwell did start the most recent fixture, a memorable 11-0 win at home to Georgia. So has she now consolidated her place in the side?
“We will see,” says Pauw. “That’s up to her. The best players play in the balance that we need in the squad. There’s huge competition, players coming in, players developing and her also, she’s a fantastic player, there’s no doubt about that.
“The issue is that a left footer on the left side is helpful, but it doesn’t mean that we go for a left footer if Diane performs at a high level in that position.”
The upcoming games will likely be especially memorable for Liverpool’s Niamh Fahey, who is set to become just the fourth female Irish player to pass the 100th cap mark, joining Emma Byrne (134), Áine O’Gorman (111) and Ciara Grant (105).
“Niamh Fahey is one of the most mature players that we have if not the most mature player, although that’s not [to detract] from others. But she is always stable. You always know what you get from her. She performs always at that level. Her experience, of course, helps her.
“You will have noticed we moved her from the left side, where she always played at club level, to the right side. That was because of her preferences that we tested with all the players – it showed that on the right side she has a new boost in her career. That is so great to see. Even now at her age and her experience, she is stepping up another level.”
2022 Pinatar Cup Fixtures
16 February
Match A1 | Wales v Scotland, Pinatar Arena, KO 15:30 (16:30 Irish Time)
Match A2 | Slovakia v Belgium, Pinatar Arena, KO 20:30 (19:30 Irish Time)
Match B1 | Republic of Ireland v Poland, La Manga, KO 15:30 (14:30 Irish Time)
Match B2 | Hungary v Russia, La Manga, KO 20:30 (19:30 Irish Time)
19 February
A3 | Winner A1 v Winner A2, Pinatar Arena, KO 20:30 (19:30 Irish Time)
A4 | Runner-up A2 v Runner-up A1, Pinatar Arena, KO 15:30 (14:30 Irish Time)
B3 | Winner B2 v Winner B1, La Manga, KO 20:30 (19:30 Irish Time)
B4 | Runner-up B2 v Runner-up B1, La Manga, KO 15:30 (14:30 Irish Time)
22 February
Final | Winner A3 v Winner B3, Pinatar Arena, KO 20:30 (19:30 Irish Time)
3rd Place | Runner-up A3 v Runner-up B3, La Manga, KO 20:30 (19:30 Irish Time)
5th Place | Winner A4 v Winner B4, Pinatar Arena, KO 15:30 (14:30 Irish Time)
7th Place | Runner-up A4 v Runner-up B4, La Manga, KO 15:30 (14:30 Irish Time)
*Republic of Ireland and Slovakia will not play each other due to being in the same FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Group