THERE WERE SEVERAL notable absentees as Tom Mohan today confirmed his squad for the upcoming U19 European Championships today.
Hopes were high in relation to Ireland’s chances, after they were the only team of eight to qualify for the tournament in Armenia with a 100% record.
However, the fact that the tournament does not take place during an official Fifa international window means clubs ultimately have the final say as to whether players can travel and in many instances, they have insisted the individuals in question stay at home for pre-season training.
Mohan said 11 players in total were unavailable, including many who helped Ireland qualify so convincingly.
Among the notable absentees from the squad are Nathan Collins (Stoke), Tom Gaston (Bordeaux), Aaron Bolger (Cardiff), Gavin Bazunu (Man City), Conor Coventry (West Ham), Troy Parrott (Tottenham), Richie O’Farrell (UCD), Luca Connell (Celtic), Will Ferry (Southampton), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Adam Idah (Norwich), Michael Obafemi (Southampton), Aaron Connolly (Brighton), Jordan Doherty (Sheffield United), Jason Knight (Derby) and Glen McAuley (Unattached after leaving Liverpool).
There are still a number of highly-rated youngsters included though, with captain Lee O’Connor (Manchester United), Ali Reghba (Leicester City) and Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United) among Irish football’s brightest prospects.
There are four League of Ireland representatives, while Andrew Omobamidele, Joe Hodge and Matt Everitt, all of whom impressed for Ireland at the U17 Euros earlier this summer, get their first call-ups.
Mohan had been in discussions with clubs over the availability of certain players and despite some high-profile absentees, the Ireland boss accentuated the positives ahead of the first match against Norway on 15 July.
“All of the players who were unavailable have been promoted to their respective senior teams at club level and we wish them the very best of luck as they advance in their careers.
It is the nature of international football that you have to react to setbacks in a very short time period in order to get results. We did just that in our Elite Round qualifiers, when four players were promoted to the U21 set-up and another got injured before we left for Russia. Yet, the players raised their level of performance and achieved what we set out to accomplish: qualification to the finals tournament.
“Although it is frustrating to be without so many players, I am both relieved and delighted to have the group of players that we now have in camp. We have really good players in this squad and they impressed in a training camp in the FAI National Training Centre and again at QPR’s Academy. So we have a group of players who are in a positive mindset and keen to make the most of this opportunity.”
Republic of Ireland Under-19 Squad
Goalkeepers: Brian Maher (St Patrick’s Athletic), George McMahon (Burnley)
Defenders: Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Mark McGuinness (Arsenal), Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Jack James (Unattached), Kameron Ledwidge (Southampton), Ciaran Brennan (Sheffield Wednesday)
Midfielders: Joe Hodge (Manchester City), Lee O’Connor (Manchester United), Barry Coffey (Celtic), Niall Morahan (Sligo Rovers), Brandon Kavanagh (Shamrock Rovers), Conor Grant (Sheffield Wednesday)
Forwards: Jonathan Afolabi (Unattached), Ali Reghba (Leicester City), Tyreik Wright (Aston Villa), Matt Everitt (Brighton & Hove Albion), Festy Ebosele (Derby County)
UEFA European Under-19 Championship – Group B
Monday, 15 July: Republic of Ireland v Norway, Yerevan Football Academy Stadium, KO 15:45 (Irish Time) – Live on RTÉ2
Thursday, 18 July: Republic of Ireland v France, Banats Stadium, Yerevan, KO 18:00 (Irish Time) – Live on RTÉ2
Sunday, 21 July: Republic of Ireland v Czech Republic, Yerevan Football Academy Stadium, KO 18:00 (Irish Time) – Live on RTÉ2
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