3 days ago
Hallgrimsson reveals hilarious glass half-full reason he's holding out hope Liam Delap could declare for Ireland
HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON has not given up hope of getting Liam Delap to play for Ireland - because he has not told him to f*** off.
And the Ireland boss
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Hallgrimsson's side take on Senegal and Luxembourg on June 6 and 10
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The powerful striker is hot property after impressing for relegated Ipswich Town in the Premier League
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The striker will line out for England in the Under-21 European Championships but he remains eligible to follow in his father Rory's footsteps and play for Ireland.
Rory - whose father was originally from Donegal with his mother from Leitrim - played alongside Hallgrímsson's assistant
The pair have met Rory and Liam together and - the fact that he was not dismissed out of hand - means he has not given up hope.
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Hallgrímsson said: "We have sat with him, yeah, just told him we would love to have him in our camp.
'Liam has good qualities, everybody knows that. His father played for the Republic. Obviously we are always hoping the good players will join us.
'He is now in the England under-21 squad in the finals. That is his focus at the moment. What will happen after that we will have to wait and see."
Asked what sort of reception he got from the ex-Manchester City starlet, Hallgrímsson said: "Well, he didn't say f*** off."
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Hallgrímsson hopes that the fact that his dad played for Ireland might sway him. He said: "I feel so, yeah. Probably you feel the same as well.
"We want the best players available. It is up to him. These questions you need to ask the player himself, not me.'
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Meanwhile, as Coleman weighs up whether to play on, Hallgrímsson insisted he still viewed the 36-year-old as an on-pitch asset.
The full-back was forced to pull out of the Ireland squad for friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg with the thigh injury he suffered in Everton's final game at Goodison Park.
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Hallgrímsson said: 'He knows that. We're selecting him even though he has little playing time.
"We've been in contact, so he knows our thoughts and we would like to have him.
'To have experience like him and to have leadership skills like him would be really important once you qualify for the World Cup, for example. So hopefully two more years.
'Many players would probably have stopped. But he always pushes himself to the limit and he expects the same from others. And that's why he is so important for this young squad to grow.
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'He's still in the Premiership and wants to be in the Premiership. Some players would maybe have lowered the standard.
'It just shows his mentality that he knows his quality and he knows he is helping a lot.
"I know David Moyes well and he respects him so much. So, no, it's big up for him, like we say in Jamaica.'
