Stephen Kenny has named his Ireland squad for the upcoming international window, with Seamus Coleman returning to the squad despite his recent injury concerns.
Ireland have three fixtures this month, with a friendly against England at Wembley Stadium being followed up by UEFA Nations League ties against Wales and Bulgaria.
David McGoldrick is not part of the squad having surprisingly announced his retirement from international football yesterday.
Luton Town striker James has been included under Kenny for the first time, with the 29-year old netting his fifth goal of the season last night.
Caoimhin Kellher is the only uncapped player to feature. There is no place for Jason Knight or Ryan Manning, both of whom were called up for the most recent fixture against Finland, but Dara O'Shea has been included.
Fresh off lifting the League of Ireland title with Shamrock Rovers, Jack Byrne will link up with the squad after the England game. There is no place in 26-man panel for Shane Long or Sean Maguire.
Here is the squad in full.
Ireland squad announced for England, Wales & Bulgaria matches @LutonTown striker James Collins recalled to the squad with @ShamrockRovers midfielder Jack Byrne to link up with the squad ahead of the Wales match#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/MGdRTBs2Tq
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 5, 2020
This month's fixtures are important for Ireland for a couple of reasons. Firstly, some positive results in the Nations League will likely be required in order to maintain our place in 'League B' for the next iteration of the event.
There is also the small matter of FIFA World Ranking points at stake. With the draw for the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers set to take place next month, Ireland are currently ranked 20th amongst UEFA nations. That would be just about enough to see them secure a place as a second seed in the draw.
However, Ireland could easily slip in the rankings if things do not go our way this month. A massive few weeks ahead.
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