There was some minor drama surrounding Aaron Connolly at Stephen Kenny’s squad announcement ahead of Portugal’s visit to a sold-out Aviva Stadium next Thursday.
Connolly was a topic of discussion at the Brighton and Hove Albion press conference an hour before the Irish media’s audience with Kenny and a contradiction needed clearing up about a heel injury that may or may not have ruled the 21-year-old out of international selection.
Brighton manager Graham Potter feels that his young striker was dropped by Ireland but Kenny strongly clarified that he was “sore”.
First things first, Connolly was benched by Kenny last month when Callum Robinson bagged five goals, a famous brace in Azerbaijan and hat-trick against Qatar, so the Galway native had already slipped down the pecking order.
“To be honest with you, he has had a heel issue,” said Kenny. “He missed the league game [against Liverpool] last weekend. He has not been training at all. He is unable to train at the moment so, on that basis, he has been left out.”
Potter had just painted a slightly different picture.
“It was only minor [injury] but we felt the game against Liverpool came too soon,” said Potter. “I imagine he would be frustrated and disappointed not to play for his country, because he wants to do that, but at the same time we respect the decision of Stephen.
“That’s life. You have to perform, you have to play, you have to accept that the coach makes those decisions. That’s what Aaron does.”
When asked to clarify, Kenny was unambiguous.
“No, listen, I spoke to Graham midweek. I have a good relationship with Graham and he hasn’t been training for Brighton.
“I spoke to Aaron yesterday myself and we both decided – he didn’t feel he was really right – although technically, he could possibly be available next Thursday for selection but he hasn’t been able to train or he hasn’t been training at all. He feels sore.”
The state of Connolly overshadowed questions about Cristiano Ronaldo’s impending visit to Dublin and Damien Duff’s appointment as Shelbourne manager, a particularly interesting question for Kenny considering Duff stepped down as Ireland assistant coach just eight matches into the current tenure due to the FAI’s investigation into ‘videogate’.
“Delighted for him, I wish him well, Shels are a club that just got promoted. Ian Morris and Alan Reynolds did a great job getting them promoted. They have a full-time ceo and full-time technical director and Damien in as manager full-time, so it’s good to see. It is good for Irish football having Damien involved in the league. He has a lot to offer, I sincerely wish him well.”
And, least important of all, Portugal and their Manchester United megastar come to Lansdowne Road in need of a result to see off Serbia in their Group A duel to reach Qatar 2022 without entering a playoff. This and the away trip to Luxembourg on November 14th marks the conclusion of a tumultuous campaign when Kenny has capped 15 players.
“That is unprecedented in the history of football in Ireland to have that many players come through in one calendar year into the senior international team. In fact, it is unprecedented in most countries.
“So, it is a radical reshift in terms of style, what we have introduced, in relation to the number of players that we have brought through.
“It is a reflection of the brilliant all the underage coaches have been doing in the last number of years. I think people are excited by that.”
Kenny has also excluded veterans Cyrus Christie and Harry Arter as captain Séamus Coleman and Derby County midfielder Jason Knight return from injury alongside Jayson Molumby and Alan Browne, who both missed the last international window due to suspension.
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth, on loan from Manchester City), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth).
Defenders: Séamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Ryan Manning (Swansea City), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Shane Duffy (Brighton and Hove Albion), John Egan (Sheffield United), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Nathan Collins (Burnley).
Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Sheffield United, on loan from Aston Villa), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Jamie McGrath (St Mirren).
Forwards: Callum Robinson (West Bromwich Albion), Troy Parrott (MK Dons, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Idah (Norwich City), James Collins (Cardiff City), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic), Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham United), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers).
World Cup 2022 qualifiers fixtures
Republic of Ireland v Portugal – Thursday, November 11th (kick-off: 7.45pm, live on RTÉ2)
Luxembourg v Republic of Ireland – Sunday, November 14th (kick-off: 7.45pm, live on RTÉ2)
