Stephen Kenny named his Republic of Ireland squad for the game against Norway and Malta earlier today, with Will Smallbone and Evan Ferguson the most eye-catching inclusions. Having impressed for the U21s in recent times, that pair will be given the chance to stake their claim for a place in the senior squad.
The rest of the squad was largely as expected, although there were a couple of notable absentees. Jason Knight and Conor Hourihane, both of whom play for Derby County, were not present despite being Irish regulars.
That apparently comes down to their club.
Stephen Kenny reveals issue with Derby County players
As it turns out, this is not a full sanctioned FIFA window for nations who have not qualified for the World Cup. This, coupled with the fact that the League One season will continue on through the tournament in Qatar, Derby County are not obliged to release their players.
The club have two fixtures next week while the players would have been on international duty.
Speaking at the squad announcement this afternoon, Stephen Kenny confirmed this was the reason for the absence of Knight and Hourihane (h/t Irish Independent):
They have an FA Cup match and a league match with Portsmouth so they haven’t released the players.
I have no idea why it isn’t a fully sanctioned window that we can demand everyone (is released).
They have competitive matches, but from our point of view playing for your country is the pinnacle of your career, and should be above everything. Ideally we want everyone here but there’s nothing we can do.
There’s ten years between them but they both equally value playing for their country.
Especially Conor, who came through from League Two to League One to the Championship to the Premier League, he came up and earned it the hard way.
Jason has been one of our most consistent performers, but that’s the way it is.
Jason Knight has had an increasingly large role in the Ireland team in recent months and was likely to play a sizeable part in the two fixtures. Conor Hourihane is no longer first choice, but he is seen as a valuable member of the squad.
Derby County's reasoning for this move is completely understandable, although the fact that they had games fixed for this period seems a bit odd.
SEE ALSO: What Happened To Ireland's Youngest International Debutants?
