Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has said he was keen to see League of Ireland players in the summer window if more friendlies had been possible and has not ruled out call-ups.
Hallgrimsson’s side will play Senegal and Luxembourg in early June in preparation for World Cup qualifying in September.
The Ireland boss has been attending games in Ireland in the last few weeks and has been encouraged by the profile of the players.
He attempted to arrange further friendlies to allow more opportunities in the squad.
Hallgrimsson said: “We wanted and planned to have two games in early May, so next week after the end of the Championship, we planned to have games, but one of the opponents pulled out so we couldn’t find a replacement.
“That was a shame because we would have played the Championship players then and then given them the holiday that they deserve and need.
“That was one of the reasons we wanted this May camp, to kind of split and have more open spots. In that sense it would have been more likely than not that we would have seen more League of Ireland players, but I’m not ruling it out that they will be in there in June.
“But because we failed to do the May camp it is less likely.
“There are really good young players now playing and I’m really happy with how many teams are playing young, talented players.”
International matches at this time of year often have the most amount of withdrawals, with players often fatigued or nursing injuries.
The Ireland boss is aware that could be a factor, but believes the level of opponent will give his team competitive matches regardless of selections.
He explained:”It isn’t a good camp for us in a way that we have a lot of players in the Championship that finish their league next week [and will be waiting around for the game]. We have been thinking about what’s the best way forward in that one, but we’re looking forward to these matches.
“Senegal are one of the best teams in the world. It’s probably the best African team, they have world class players. It will be fantastic to have them in the Aviva. I know it will be a full stadium.
“Luxembourg have been on the up for some time now, they almost qualified for the European Championships.
“They lost to Georgia, and they have been on a really good trajectory of late. They are a good team. I was watching them beat Sweden in the last window. I think the coach has been there 12 years, which is kind of unheard of for a national team coach.
“It’s a good opponent and we play them away where they get really good results. It’s two good games and of course we would like to do well, but everybody knows September is the month that we need to be 100%.”
Relegation for Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton will see the number of Irish players operating in the Premier League diminish, although Josh Cullen will return with Burnley.
Hallgrimsson is not concerned by how many players he has operating in the top flight in England, with more of a emphasis on their form and mood coming into camp.
“The most important is that the players are playing well and playing on regular basis.
“There are pros and cons in this. Is it better for us to have a player playing day in and day out in a team that is losing more or winning more, so confidence comes into consideration as well?
“So, maybe it’s better for us to have a player in a top team in the Championship winning 70% of their matches coming in with confidence and with a winning spirit.
“There will be probably be a lot of changes anyway. Some players will move. That’s what happens every year. So we’ll see when the seasons start, but most important is that they can get a good break now after a long season, and they will be ready and fit and fresh in September.”
Ireland will be considerable underdogs in the bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, as home and away games with Portugal, Hungary and Armenia are to come.
The former Jamaica manager is staying optimistic on the back of the Nations League play-off victory last time out.
“Every nation wants to qualify for this World Cup. It’s a big one. Good venues in the US and the biggest World Cup until now, so everybody likes to be there and it’s the same with Ireland as anyone else. It’s a big pressure.
“I think what has happened in the recent camp is looking good and I think we can take a lot of positives from the Bulgaria matches. So we are happy to have two friendlies in June.”
