With 32 players named by Martin O’Neill, there are no major omissions to speak of as the Boys in Green prepare for four games in 17 days ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
Despite speculation that he might make a dramatic return to the fold, there is no room for Stephen Ireland in Martin O’Neill’s squad, which will be trimmed ahead of the squad meeting up on May 22.
Captain Robbie Keane returns having missed out on the friendly defeat to Serbia in March, while Shane Duffy and Conor Sammon also feature in a squad that should provide O’Neill and assistant Roy Keane with plenty of room for experimentation ahead of bigger tests further down the line. Richard Dunne and Robbie Brady don’t feature in the squad, but with Dunne involved in the Championship play-offs and Brady still recuperating from injury that’s not a huge surprise.
The Boys in Green will first take on Turkey in the Aviva Stadium on May 25, followed by a clash with Italy in Craven Cottage on May 31 and fixtures against Costa Rica and Portugal in Philadelphia and New Jersey on June 6 and June 10.
Speaking at the squad announcement at FAI headquarters today, Ireland manager Martin O’Neill said: “These four games will provide us with great preparation for our first European qualifier against Georgia in September.
“I have enjoyed working with the players to date, and intend to use this extended period with them in May/ June to give me the opportunity to experiment and familiarise myself with the squad further.”
Ireland squad: David Forde, Darren Randolph, Rob Elliot, Richard Keogh, Marc Wilson, Seamus Coleman, John O’Shea, Alex Pearce, Stephen Kelly, Damien Delaney, Joey O’Brien, Shane Duffy; James McCarthy, Jeff Hendrick, Ciaran Clark, Stephen Ward, Glenn Whelan, Paul Green, Aiden McGeady, Anthony Pilkington, James McClean, Stephen Quinn, David Meyler, Wes Hoolahan, Robbie Keane, Shane Long, Daryl Murphy, Jon Walters, Kevin Doyle, Anthony Stokes, Simon Cox, Connor Sammon
