Bullish Heimir Hallgrimsson outlines World Cup vision while explaining squad for Senegal & Luxembourg friendlies
HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON has said he is already planning for Ireland to be at the World Cup next summer.
Hallgrímsson has given all but three Championship players the summer off because he reckons they will not get any downtime in 12 months' time.
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Hallgrimsson firmly believes his side will end a 20-year wait to qualify for a World Cup
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Captain Seamus Coleman has been recalled to the squad
He said: 'We expect to have no holiday next summer. We expect to go straight from the season into the World Cup in the US so we can give them holidays now.'
Shamrock Rovers' Josh Honohan, Killian Phillips - who is on loan to St Mirren from Crystal Palace - and John Joe Patrick Finn of Stade de Reims
So too has keeper Josh Keeley, who was called into train when John O'Shea was in interim charge but was not a part of the squad proper.
He has spent this season on loan to Leyton Orient from Spurs.
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Ireland host Senegal on June 6 before playing away to Luxembourg four days later.
On Honohan, Hallgrímsson said: 'One of his biggest attributes is his versatility, he can play on the left and the right so he gives flexibility. That's one of his biggest advantages.
'We want to see him in our environment which is mainly Premier League players. Normally good players can step up when they are with better players.
'Josh was on standby last time so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's in the squad.'
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On the midfield pair, he said: 'Killian I have seen on a couple of occasions. I have gone to St Mirren and seen him. He has an abundance of energy.
"He has physicality and height. He's a little bit different from what we have in terms of size and technique.
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'I just wanted to see him and the same goes for John Joe and we wanted to measure him in relation to our other players.'
On Keeley, he said: 'He is probably next in line. He's young, he's progressing really fast, he's taking huge steps this season, he's playing in the play-offs and hopefully he can get promoted so he's playing at the next level this season.
'It gives us the option to give Mark Travers an extended off-season. With Gavin Bazunu injured, there was a spot and we wanted to see a younger goalkeeper.'
Skipper
Hallgrímsson was coy on whether he thought the veteran would retire but said he would not have been called up if he was not part of his plans for the World Cup.
Festy Ebosele has been called in for the first time since joining Istanbul Basaksehir with Hallgrímsson hoping he, Sammie Szmodics and Troy Parrott would be fit.
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He said: 'Sammie hasn't featured for Ipswich coming back from ankle surgery. He is starting to train but it is unlikely. It is one of the reasons why we have 24 players.
'Troy has been out as well with a groin injury. He is coming back and he's really optimistic he will be good for June. He says he will feature before this camp.
'Festy is coming back slowly so hopefully by June he will be fit and flying.
'Three players haven't had much playing time - Séámus is back, he hasn't really played but wants to come back, Will Smallbone has had limited minutes for Southampton and the same for Evan Ferguson but we really want to see these players in June to see where they're at.'
Ferguson's loan move to West Ham from Brighton has not gone according to plan but Hallgrímsson said: 'I am not interfering with the next step.
'All players know they have a better chance of playing for the national team if [playing] on a regular basis and if you're playing well. We don't need to discuss that.
"I think he's much more frustrated that he's not playing than me.'
Robbie Brady, in talks with Preston North End about a new deal, uncapped keeper Max O'Leary and his Bristol City team-mate Jason Knight.
The Robins reached the play-offs meaning they played beyond the regular season with Hallgrímsson explaining why Brady was the exception in the squad.
He said: 'The June window has been tough or tricky for Ireland in the past.
"I guess the reason is three games a week in the Championship and the players are tired physically and mentally and it is tough to switch back on.
'What we want now most of all is that these players have a good off-season and come in flying in pre-season and September so we will benefit from that.
'I know some will be unhappy not to be in the squad but that is the reason.
'The only exception is Robbie Brady is that he is playing left-back where we don't have a lot of players so we asked him to come in and he was more than happy to do that.'
Ireland squad:
Kelleher (Liverpool), O'Leary (Bristol City), Keeley (Leyton Orient, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur);
Coleman (Everton), Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Collins (Brentford), O'Shea (Ipswich Town), O'Brien (Everton), Omobamidele (Strasbourg, on loan from Nottingham Forest), Scales (Celtic), Brady (Preston North End);
Knight (Bristol City), Phillips (St. Mirren, on loan from Crystal Palace), Smallbone (Southampton), Taylor (Ipswich Town), Finn (Stade De Reims);
Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Ferguson (West Ham United, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Idah (Celtic), Szmodics (Ipswich Town), McAteer (Leicester City), Ebosele (Istanbul Basaksehir), Manning (Southampton).
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