Republic of Ireland Under-21 Manager Jim Crawford has named a 26-man squad for friendlies against Switzerland, Australia and Denmark in Marbella, Spain.
Seven new players included
Crawford has called-up are seven new faces to the U21 squad. Among them are Sevilla’s Ryan Johansson after he was declared eligible to play for Ireland following FIFA clearance.
Johansson is joined by Getafe’s John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa who is selected in his first international squad. Sheffield Wendesday’s Ciaran Brennan, Derby County’s Festy Ebosele and Lincoln City’s Seán Roughan get the U21 call. UCD striker and League of Ireland First Division top scorer Colm Whelan is also included in the squad.
Dan Rose of Schalke 04, who was included ahead of the Wales friendly in March but was unable to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions, will join his first U21 camp.
Games on TV
The games will form part of the U21s preparation for their 2023 European Championship qualifiers against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Luxembourg in September.
The games Switzerland and Australia to be shown live on Premier Sports 1 and FreeSports.
Ireland’s game with Denmark on Saturday, June 5 (which kicks-off at 17:00pm) will be shown in full at a later time of 21:30pm on Premier Sports 1.
Republic of Ireland squad – Switzerland, Australia, Denmark
Goalkeepers: Sam Blair (Norwich City), Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers),
Dan Rose (Schalke 04)
Defenders: Ciaran Brennan (Sheffield Wednesday), Festy Ebosele (Derby County), Shane Flynn (Leicester City), Andy Lyons (Bohemians), OisÃn McEntee (Newcastle United), Mark McGuinness (Arsenal), Lewis Richards (Wolves), Seán Roughan (Lincoln City).
Midfielders: John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa (Getafe), Luca Connell (Celtic), Conor Coventry (West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Alex Gilbert (Brentford), Conor Grant (Rochdale), Ryan Johansson (Sevilla), Conor Noss (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Louie Watson (Derby County).
Forwards: Jonathan Afolabi (Celtic), Will Ferry (Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Aston Villa).
Fixtures – International Friendlies (all times are Irish times)
- Switzerland v Republic of Ireland, May 30, KO 11:00, Dama de Noche Football Centre, Marbella, Spain (Live on Premier Sports 1/ FreeSports)
- Australia v Republic of Ireland, June 2, KO 12:00, Marbella Football Centre, Marbella, Spain. (Live on Premier Sports 1/ FreeSports)
- Republic of Ireland v Denmark, June 5, KO 17:00, Dama de Noche Football Centre, Marbella, Spain. (To be shown at 21.30pm on Premier Sports 1)
