A couple of weeks ago Martin O'Neill confirmed that Ireland had been given a boost in their hopes of securing the future of one of the most impressive young midfielders in England.
Speaking about Dan Crowley, the Arsenal youngster who is currently on loan at Barnsley, Martin O'Neill said something which caused quite a bit of deja vu.
I spoke to his father and we had a very civil conversation.
The parallels with the Grealish situation were immediately obvious but nonetheless hopes were high. The Irish Times were even reporting that Crowley was ready to accept a call-up to Noel King's Ireland u21 squad.
That squad has since been named and Crowley was absent. Yet hopes were still high that we may see him in a green jersey again after he had switched allegiance to England having represented at Ireland at u17 level.
It's gone under the radar somewhat but it seems those hopes have taken a serious hit after Barnsley announced that he has been called up to the England u19 squad.
Crowley, Jackson & Wilkinson Called Up as Johnson Looks to Bradford http://t.co/eq41f69HcY via @po_st
— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) October 5, 2015
Crowley was a late replacement for Chelsea youngster Izzy Brown and while it's not an end to Ireland's hopes of securing Crowley's allegiance, it's certainly a blow to Martin O'Neill's hopes of securing the talented playmaker.
