International football is almost back, and here’s the first squad selected by Monkeano for 2014.
On March 5 Ireland will play Serbia at Aviva Stadium in the first international of 2014 for the still minty fresh new managerial duo of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane. Back in November, the team beat a lacklustre Latvia 3-0 before playing out a fairly uneventful 0-0 draw with Poland in Poznan.
But with the draw for the Euro 2016 qualifiers taking place on Sunday, the real stuff is edging ever closer and with Serbia in the third pot of seeds (we’re in second) they are potential opponents on the road to France.
With that in mind, O’Neill has named a high-class squad for the upcoming friendly. Only the injured Robbie Brady stands out as an obvious omission, while Robbie Keane is also rested as he prepares for the start of the MLS season.
Daryl Murphy gets a recall, as does David Meyler, while there is no return for Stephen Ireland, or Shay Given.
Squad: Forde, Randolph, Elliott; Keogh, Wilson, Coleman, O’Shea, Pearce, Kelly, Delaney, Dunne, McCarthy, Clark, Ward, Whelan, Green, Reid, McGeady, Pilkington, McClean, Quinn, Meyler, Hoolahan, Long, Murphy, Walters, Doyle, Stokes, Cox.
