Stephen Kenny has confirmed that former Ireland international Keith Andrews along with ex-Newcastle and League of Ireland player Jim Crawford will be his assistants during his time as Ireland U21 manager.
Andrews, who won 35 for the Republic, is currently taking part in the FAI's UEFA Pro Licence course which runs until the summer of 2020. He had previously worked with Colin O'Brien's Ireland U17 coaching team.
Crawford, who played for Newcastle, Bohs and Shelbourne and also Ireland at U21 level, was previously head coach of the Ireland U18 team.
Goalkeeping coach Dan Connor will continue in his role with the Ireland U21s, one he has held since 2017. Connor is also goalkeeping coach with English Championship side Wigan.
The remainder of Kenny's coaching staff will be as follows: S&C coach, Damien Doyle; performance analyst, Gary Seery; physiotherapist, Kevin Mulholland; team doctor, Ronan Kearney.
The qualifying campaign for the 2021 European U21 Championships gets underway in March. Ireland will play in Group One along with Italy, Sweden, Iceland, Armenia and Luxembourg.
Kenny also named a squad for a training camp next month. Its majority is comprised of players from the League of Ireland along with two Northern Irish Premiership players, Ronan Hale and Michael O'Connor.
The squad will take part in a friendly game against the Ireland Amateur team at Whitehall Stadium on February 6th and 7:45pm.
Kenny also announced that the U21s will take part in the 2019 Toulon Tournament.
The full squad is:
Goalkeepers: Conor Kearns (UCD), Ross Treacy (Dundalk)
Defenders: Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Darragh Leahy (Bohemians), Conor McCarthy (Cork City), Trevor Clarke (Shamrock Rovers), Liam Scales (UCD), John Mahon (Sligo Rovers).
Midfielders: Dan Mandriou (Bohemians), Aaron Bolger (Shamrock Rovers), JJ Lunney (Waterford), Jamie Lennon (St. Patrick's Athletic), Brandon Kavanagh (Shamrock Rovers), Robbie McCourt (Bohemians).
Forwards: Ronan Hale (Crusaders), Neil Farrugia (UCD), Michael O'Connor (Linfield), Will Fitzgerald (Limerick), Zach Elbouzedi (Waterford), Karl O'Sullivan (Limerick).
Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
