The Ireland WNT have welcomed back a handful of players who missed out on the 2023 World Cup and the Nations League window.
An upcoming international friendly against Italy on Friday will be these players’ time to shine after a long absence. One such player is Aoife Mannion who plays for Manchester United in the WSL.
While English-born, Mannion already has two caps for Ireland, qualifying for the team through her Irish parents. She previously made appearances for the girls in green in a friendly against China in February 2023 under then-manager Vera Pauw.
The first WNT squad of 2024 is here 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Baeye9vak0
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) February 15, 2024
A year on, Mannion is eager to return to the international stage. Speaking to the media ahead of Friday’s game she expressed her hopes for the Irish squad going forward from their undefeated Nations League campaign. “I’ve watched the games, they won every game of opposition that was put in front of them and so it’s quite clear that there’s a real appetite to build on the legacy and keep going and so, to have the opportunity to come into that is really exciting for me personally.”
First training session under the belt ☑️ pic.twitter.com/JRzHnRwS5a
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) February 20, 2024
Mannion is no stranger to adversity and hasn’t been seen with Ireland for a long time due to medical disruption. Last year, she suffedered a knee ligament injury that ultimately kept her out of Ireland’s World Cup squad.
The Manchester United star said of her hopes for this international window, “I think the main focus of these two matches for the team is just to really put down some more building blocks going towards the Euro qualifiers.”
She added, “For me personally, obviously it’s just at the start of me coming back but hopefully very soon that kind of rehab perspective will be behind me. I feel fit, I feel available and so I don’t see this as like a ‘return to play camp’ or anything like that. I’m kind of fit and i’m ready to go.”
An unbeaten streak in last year's Nations League means that the Irish team will have to contend with elite European sides as they strive to qualify for the Euros in 2025. These higher profile teams include Italy, who are also in the running for a place in the continental tournament. It is then no surprise that this friendly could serve as an indication to what the Irish national team are capable of.
Mannion shares this view and believes that Ireland can take on the best. “I think that teams like England, Spain, you know, teams that were right at the top at the end of the World Cup...these are all incredible teams and, as a team, we would like to test ourselves against the best.”
“The girls created history going to our first ever World Cup and for now we’d love that opportunity to test ourselves against the teams that have been able to do it right at the backend of the competitions. So the idea that we’re going to be in the same group as those is a big challenge, one that I think the girls are ready to relish.”
At club level, Mannion has been linked to Manchester United since 2021 when she first signed with the side. Over the course of her two-year period with the team, she has made seventeen appearances.
Hard work pays off, Aoife ❤️💪#MUWomen https://t.co/afFgCxIHQx
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) February 15, 2024
Just before the international break, a game last weekend between Arsenal and Manchester United saw tickets sell out for the first time in WSL history. Irish captain Katie McCabe also set up the opening goal of the match with a corner kick that rebounded off of Manchester United player, Geyse Da Silva Ferreira. Two more goals followed for Arsenal and the game finished with a 3-1 victory for the Gunners.
While friendly rivalries are inevitable in the WSL, players come together on the international stage to represent their home country. Indeed, just three days after their teams played against each other in this record-breaking game, Mannion and McCabe were both in green jerseys training to take on Italy.
After Italy, Ireland will have a few days' recovery ahead of them with a home game against Wales at Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday.
SEE ALSO: FAI Clarify Anthem Photo After Erroneous Claims From Israeli Media
