Ryan Manning was one of the notable omissions from the 24-man Ireland squad named by Stephen Kenny last week for the Nations League games against Scotland and Armenia.
The returning Robbie Brady and James McClean would appear to be those ahead of Manning in the pecking order for the left wing-back spot. Matt Doherty has also played there under Stephen Kenny.
Galway man Manning has been in good form for Swansea in the Championship. On Saturday, he scored his second goal of the season, the opener as Swansea beat Hull 3-0.
"It’s international football, so it’s competitive," Manning told WalesOnline.
"There are lots of players competing to play in different positions.
"I can only play for my club and do what I am doing on the pitch - put in performances that I hope will catch the eye. Obviously, I didn’t catch the eye enough this time, but it gives me an opportunity for the next two weeks to continue to work on the training ground.
"Under this gaffer, we do get a lot of work in. You have to learn the philosophy and the way we play, so it gives me an opportunity to knuckle down and hit the ground running."
Ryan Manning goal vs Hull
Swansea finally take the lead!
Ryan Manning sneaks in at the back post to put the ball in the net ⚽ pic.twitter.com/bCuRteU58l
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 17, 2022
Manning celebrated his goal on Saturday by tucking the ball under his jersey and sucking his thumb. Earlier in the week, the 26-year-old and his partner Charli had announced they are expecting a child.
"My missus and I are having a little baby next March. We announced it on Thursday," said Manning.
"It was nice to get [the celebration] out of the way early! It could have been difficult for myself if that had gone on until Christmas time. It was nice to celebrate and we got three points as well.
"It’s been a tough start in terms of results, but the one thing is we kept our belief in the importance of the performances.
"The goals weren’t coming, but we had good performances. Today, we won 3-0 but it could have been six and it’s a really good end to this first block of fixtures.
"We have bits of luck go against us, and there's been a bit of complacency, but on the whole the performances were there and that’s the most important thing. Hopefully, we can now kick on and eradicate the mistakes."
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