Mick McCarthy has announced his provisional squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifier against Switzerland and the friendly against Bulgaria, and it looks pretty exciting.
There had been speculation that 17-year old Spurs phenom Troy Parrott would be included in the 40-man list, and that has proved to be the case. He was in fantastic form for his club during pre-season, putting in strong performances against the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United.
While he was not included in the Spurs squad for the opening game of the season, that was apparently enough to impress McCarthy, who introduced Robbie Keane to the squad at a similar age during his first spell in charge.
Some of the other notable names to make the cut include 18-year old Nathan Collins, former Cork City player Kieran Sadlier and Southampton's Michael Obafemi.
Here's the squad in full:
Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has named a 40-man provisional squad for next month's matches against Switzerland and Bulgaria!
➡️https://t.co/BLgrEKPhUD #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/EATVJbklwM— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) August 16, 2019
Ireland take on Switzerland in their next Euro 2020 qualifier at the Aviva Stadium on September 5th, before a home friendly against Bulgaria five days later.
That game against the Swiss will be a pivotal point in the qualification campaign, with a positive result needed in that one if McCarthy's side are to advance to the finals next summer.
Having started the group with fixtures against Georgia and Gibraltar in Dublin, this will be Ireland's first real test on home soil.
