McCarthy named in Ireland U-21 squad

Wigan midfielder James McCarthy has been named in Republic of Ireland squad for the forthcoming UEFA U-21 Championships qualifiers against Hungary and Turkey after being excluded from the senior squad yesterday.

Wed, 24 Aug, 2011 - 15:26

Ireland will host Hungary at the Showgrounds, Sligo, on Thursday, September 1 (7.30pm) and then travel to Manisa on Tuesday, September 6 (5pm, Irish time).

Manager Noel King has included 15 of the players who featured in a 2-1 friendly victory over Austria at the Showgrounds earlier this month.

Senior international McCarthy has been added to the squad with Adam Barton (Preston North End) and Sean Scannell (Crystal Palace) returning from injuries which ruled them out of the game against Austria.

King said: “James will be a good addition to our squad. We are building a competitive squad now and if everybody that is eligible for this age group was fit it would be one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had just to name the squad.

“James played in the last competitive game for the U-21s against Estonia so he knows most of the players. He has a great pedigree and everybody knows the talent he possesses.

“We’ve named James in the squad and he is fit to play. Hopefully all of the players will come through their club fixtures this weekend and steer clear of injuries.”

King will be keen to see his side build on their impressive display against the Austrians last month but know that they face a tough test against the Hungarians first time out.

“It’s always nice to get off to a good start in a qualifying group but nobody will be qualified on the first day. It’s a lengthy process to reach the finals but we’ll obviously be looking to start as well as possible,” said the Irish boss.

“I’ve watched Hungary several times. I saw them at the Toulon tournament during the summer and have looked at quite a few DVDs. They’re an excellent side with players playing top division in their own country and the Bundesliga.

“The players enjoyed the Austria game and we were all delighted with how it went so we’ll be looking to achieve a similar result and performance this time around.”

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND UNDER-21 SQUAD:

Ian McLoughlin (MK Dons FC)

Aaron McCarey (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC)

Lanre Oyebanjo (York City FC)

Shane Duffy (Everton FC)

Gavin Gunning ( Dundee United FC)

Rob Kiernan (Wigan Athletic FC)

Niall Canavan ( Scunthorpe United FC)

Aidan White (Leeds United FC)

Richie Towell (Celtic FC)

Mark Connolly (Bolton Wanderers FC)

Adam Barton ( Preston North End FC)