Heimir Hallgrímsson has named his Ireland squad for the final round of UEFA Nations League fixtures next week.
The Irish head coach will hope to end the campaign on a high, with the home fixture against Finland next Thursday effectively a playoff for third place in the group table. Though a result at Wembley next Sunday is unlikely, it would do a long way to building on the good will established by the win in Helsinki last month.
Last month’s window brought Ireland’s first meaningful competitive win in over two years and was down to a mixture of impressive showings from veterans and flashy impacts from newcomers.
With a variety of injury problems and returning stars, there are several changes to Hallgrímsson’s Ireland squad for next week’s fixtures, with five players dropping out and five coming in to the 23-man squad.
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The ins and outs of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s Ireland squad
The new faces in Hallgrímsson’s squad
Seamus Coleman
7 September 2024; Republic of Ireland players Seamus Coleman, left, and Nathan Collins of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between Republic of Ireland and England at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The Ireland captain limped off of Hallgrímsson’s first game in charge against England, and has been absent from the squad ever since.
Veteran right-back Coleman has returned to the Everton matchday squad in recent weeks, though he is yet to play any minutes at club level since his injury.
Nonetheless, the 36-year-old returns to the squad, with his experience highly valuable to Hallgrímsson and the coaching team. Interestingly, he seems to have been preferred to Matt Doherty.
Callum O’Dowda
10 September 2024; Callum O’Dowda of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between Republic of Ireland and Greece at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
O’Dowda was initially named in the squad for the October window before withdrawing through injury. As expected, he returns this time around.
Shane Duffy
10 June 2024; Shane Duffy and Troy Parrott, left, during a Republic of Ireland training session at Estádio de São Miguel in Gondomar, Portugal. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Shane Duffy is named in a Heimir Hallgrímsson squad for the first time, with his last appearance in an Ireland camp coming under John O’Shea in June.
The Norwich City centre-back has played every minute of the Canaries’ Championship campaign thus far, and captained the side twice last week.
With Nathan Collins, Liam Scales, and Dara O’Shea well-established in the Ireland back four, it is unlikely we will see much of Duffy next week. Like Coleman, however, the 32-year-old’s experience will be valuable when coming up against the might of England.
Andy Moran
11 October 2024; Andrew Moran of Republic of Ireland in action against Kristian Arnstad of Norway during the UEFA European U21 Championship qualifier match between Republic of Ireland and Norway at Turner’s Cross in Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
One of the most highly-rated prospects in Irish football, Andy Moran once again starred last month as the Ireland U21s put in one last push for European Championship qualification.
Though that mission ended in heartbreak, Moran was once again one of the standout stars, scoring in the 1-1 draw with Italy in Trieste.
He has been rewarded for those performances – as well as his consistency since breaking into the starting lineup at Stoke in recent weeks – with his first Ireland senior call-up since March.
Tom Cannon
Tom Cannon added to his goal tally for this season over the last week, with two more for Stoke bringing his total for the season to six.
The 21-year-old returns to the squad having made his debut under John O’Shea in June, and will hope to make his first competitive appearances after an impressive start to the season with the Potters in the Championship.
Who’s out of the Ireland squad
Chiedozie Ogbene
Irish fans were heartbroken to see Chiedozie Ogbene go down in a heap during Ipswich’s dramatic defeat at Brentford in late October and, unfortunately, things were even worse than initially feared.
The Corkman has been ruled out until the end of the season with an Achilles injury, in a huge blow to both his club and to Heimir Hallgrímsson’s Ireland.
He will be sorely missed from the Ireland squad, as one of the most consistent performers for the side over the past four years. Here’s hoping it is a smooth recovery for the 27-year-old.
Jack Taylor
Another Ipswich man, Jack Taylor was impressive on debut for Ireland against Greece last time out, coming close to equalising before the Greeks added a second late on.
The English-born midfielder has been ruled out of this window after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Robbie Brady
The star of last month’s window, Irish fans may not have expected to be maligning Robbie Brady’s absence so.
However, the 32-year-old was the match-winner in Helsinki and injected plenty of energy into the doomed second-half charge in Athens. However, the Preston full-back will be missing this time around after going off injured against Bristol City late last month.
Andrew Omobamidele
Andrew Omobamidele was named in both of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s first two squads as Ireland head coach, playing most of September’s defeat to Greece in Dublin.
However, having made just one appearance at club level so far this season, the Nottingham Forest centre-back drops out of the squad for the final games of 2024.
Jamie McGrath
Jamie McGrath was at the centre of Aberdeen’s electric start to the Scottish Premiership season, with the 28-year-old contributing two goals and three assists in the Dons’ flawless first three games.
They have since dropped just two points – a draw at defending champions Celtic, who they remain tied with at the top of the table. With McGrath contributing another two assists during that Celtic Park game just over two weeks ago, his absence from the squad is a puzzling one, though the squad is somewhat top-heavy as it is.
McGrath was named in Hallgrímsson’s last squad but played just 19 minutes across October’s two games.
Ireland host Finland on Thursday November 14th (7:45pm) before travelling to face England on Sunday November 17th (5pm).