Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has three fresh injury concerns ahead of the vital European Championships qualifier against Greece in Athens on June 16th.
Chiedozie Ogbene’s torn hamstring denied the Rotherham winger from taking part in this week’s four-day camp at Bristol City’s state-of-the-art training facility. Alan Browne also sat out the sessions due to a medial knee problem, while Everton striker Tom Cannon missed the gathering with tonsillitis.
Cannon recently returned to Everton following a loan move at Preston North End that yielded eight goals in 20 appearances. The 20-year-old also scored on debut for the Ireland under-21s against Iceland last March so a quick recovery from illness would put him in the frame to win his first cap next month.
The Bristol camp was created to counteract Ireland’s EFL Championship contingent being undercooked for the June 2022 defeat to Armenia in Yerevan. The full senior squad will be announced next Wednesday or Thursday before a nine-day camp – which includes an uncapped friendly match – in Antalya, Turkey from June 5th.
“We found Bristol very valuable,” said Kenny. “The Championship is the only league that finishes six weeks before the international window in June. The Greek players will all be playing right up until [the qualifier]. Spanish, Italian and the Premier League are the same but because the majority of our players are in the Championship it is a challenge we have to take on. So these four days were important.
“The other side of it is they play 46 games in the Championship. In a World Cup year it has been even more condensed with midweek matches every week, with lads playing on injured, so there is a fine balancing act where we had individual programs tailored for each player.
“[In Turkey] it will be important to replicate the conditions we will find in Greece. They are a good team that won their Nations League group so we will have to perform at a high level.”
Ireland captain Séamus Coleman is out of the June window with a knee injury.
Ireland training squad
Max O’Leary (Bristol City), Ed McGinty (Oxford United), Brian Maher (Derry City); Danny McNamara (Millwall), Callum O’Dowda (Cardiff City), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Seán McLoughlin (Hull City); Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Josh Cullen (Burnley), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Neil Farrugia (Shamrock Rovers), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jack Taylor (Peterborough United); Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham United), Troy Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur), Michael Obafemi (Burnley), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic).
