Republic of Ireland U21 manager Jim Crawford has named his Republic of Ireland U21 squad for the Euro qualifier in Italy later this month, including 22 players.
He is set to be without a number of key men, with Stephen Kenny including a number of U21 eligible players in his senior squad. Aaron Connolly, Caoimhin Kelleher, Jayson Molumby, and Adam Idah are all unavailable as a result.
The big news is that Southampton striker Michael Obafemi has been included, despite his remarks after being left out of the senior squad a number of weeks ago. He is joined by club teammates Will Smallbone and Will Ferry.
Gavin Bazunu looks set to take the number one jersey, while Dara O'Shea will play a key role after starting all of West Brom's Premier League fixtures this season. The likes of Lee O'Connor and Conor Masterson are also included in the defence.
Five League of Ireland players are in the squad, with Ed McGinty, Darragh Leahy, Liam Scales, Daniel Mandriou, and Neil Farrugia included.
Troy Parrott has not been included, with the on-loan Millwall striker currently struggling with injury.
Here is the squad in full:
#IRLU21🇮🇪 | Jim Crawford names a 22-man squad for the #U21EURO Qualifier away to Italy later this month
2⃣ Senior Internationals
4⃣ Uncapped players
5⃣ @SSEAirtricityLg players#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/X9ZQFu6CMu— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) October 2, 2020
Ireland travel to take on Italy on Tuesday, October 13th, where a win would put them in pole position in their qualifying group. Crawford's side currently sit three points ahead of the Italians having played a game more.
Second-place would likely even be enough for Ireland to qualify, with the five best runner-ups from the nine groups advancing to the finals in Hungary and Slovenia.
See Also: The Biggest Selection Headaches Facing Kenny Ahead Of Slovakia Play-Off
