Tom Mohan has revealed his Republic of Ireland squad for this month's Under-19 European Championships in Armenia.
Manchester United's Lee O'Connor will captain the side, having missed the Elite Phase of qualifying.
There's plenty of League of Ireland representation, with St. Pat's goalkeeper Brian Maher, Bohemians defender Andy Lyons, and midfielders Niall Morahan from Sligo Rovers and Shamrock Rovers' Brandon Kavanagh. Ali Reghba who has just left Bohemians for Leicester City also gets the nod.
Mohan has been unable to pick Tottenham forward Troy Parrott, as Mauricio Pochettino opts to keep the 17-year old for pre-season training. Parrott is one of eleven players that Mohan has been unable to pick, something which clearly frustrates the manager, "Because this tournament falls outside a FIFA international window and clubs are not obliged to release their players.
"All of the players who were unavailable have been promoted to their respective senior teams at club level and we wish them the very best of luck as they advance in their careers.
10 October 2017; Lee O'Connor of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA European U19 Championship Qualifier match between Republic of Ireland and Serbia at RSC in Waterford. Photo by Matt Browne/SportsfileDespite the number of absentees - only one of which is through injury - Mohan is refusing to get downcast having qualified for the tournament unbeaten, "It is the nature of international football that you have to react to setbacks in a very short time period in order to get results.
"We did just that in our Elite Round qualifiers, when four players were promoted to the Under-21 set-up and another got injured before we left for Russia. Yet, the players raised their level of performance and achieved what we set out to accomplish: qualification to the finals tournament."
Three players have earned their first call-ups at U19 level - Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Joe Hodge (Manchester City) and Matt Everitt (Brighton & Hove Albion).
Ireland begin their Group B campaign with a meeting with Norway on Monday in Yerevan, before games with both France and the Czech Republic.
Mohan's confident the group he has assembled can go far in the tournament, "We have a lot of very good players who are technically comfortable on the ball and capable of being both creative & clinical in front of goal.
"Defensively, we have a strong core and we move forward as a team. So, if we can play as a team then we have a fantastic chance of picking up results in this tournament."
Republic of Ireland Under-19 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Brian Maher (St Patrick's Athletic), George McMahon (Burnley)
Defenders: Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Mark McGuinness (Arsenal), Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Jack James (unattached), Kameron Ledwidge (Southampton), Ciaran Brennan (Sheffield Wednesday)
Midfielders: Joe Hodge (Manchester City), Lee O'Connor (Manchester United), Barry Coffey (Celtic), Niall Morahan (Sligo Rovers), Brandon Kavanagh (Shamrock Rovers), Conor Grant (Sheffield Wednesday)
Forwards: Jonathan Afolabi (unattached), Ali Reghba (Leicester City), Tyreik Wright (Aston Villa), Matt Everitt (Brighton & Hove Albion), Festy Ebosele (Derby County)
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