Latest news with #Hallgrimsson
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘He's a player of interest' – Hallgrimsson hints at shock Ireland return for James McClean in major retirement U-turn
IRELAND boss Heimir Hallgrimsson has confirmed James McClean is on his World Cup radar. McClean, 36, 2 Heimir Hallgrimsson suggests James McClean could be brought back for Ireland Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 2 He retired from international football in 2023 Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile But he always said he And now back in the next term after back-to-back promotions, Hallgrimsson admits McClean (above) is someone to consider. Hallgrimsson said: 'He is a player of interest, really. Again, he is a character that could help us at some point. 'I think we were more looking at younger players in this camp but we'll obviously look at him like everyone else. Read More on Ireland MNT 'If he is better than the ones we have already, I would have no problem with selecting him. 'I don't know him personally. I haven't spoken to him but caught up on him and saw him play. 'Like I said, what is he, 36? He's not getting any younger. 'But if he's better than the ones we have, I would have no problems with selecting him. Most read in Football 'It would have been good to have camps to call him in and work with him for a week. 'And I've said before, age is not an issue for me if a player is 16 and better than the ones before or 35. 'He's got the fastest hands' - Wrexham star James McClean tipped to beat up Jake Paul in boxing fight 'It really doesn't matter if they are better than the ones we have.' Josh Honohan, 24, are Hallgrimsson's two left-back options for the upcoming friendlies against And he confirmed Dutch-based Anselmo Garcia-MacNulty, 22, is also a left-back option though he was not called up on this occasion. The Seville-born former Ireland Under-21 international was an ever-present for PEC Zwolle this season and has been in the Irish system since aged 16. But he has played all season at centre-half where Hallgrimsson has plenty of options at present. The boss said: 'He's a promising player. He's playing every minute in a proper league. 'A different style than he's used to, so he's adapting to the style they are playing. 'He is a left-footed centre-back and we don't have many of those. 'He probably has more of a chance playing as a left-back but he's not doing that at this stage. 'He can play both, so if you look to the future , definitely a guy that we will have our eye on.'
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘For sure' – Heimir Hallgrimsson explains belief in Ireland's World Cup chances despite alarming trend
HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON believes he can turn water into wine — because he has done it before. With the club football season wrapping up in most countries, the Ireland boss has been able to take stock of the fortunes of his players over the course of the campaign. Advertisement 2 Hallgrimsson maintains Irish players have enough ability to make it to the 2026 World Cup 2 Will Smallbone is one of the eight Irish players to suffer Premier League relegation It does not make for great reading. Earlier this week, That was what LOI academy manager Will Clarke calculated is needed for the national team to be successful, based on studying the next ten best-performing countries after powerhouses England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. There are 16 spots available for European countries at the World Cup finals next summer and Hallgrimsson believes he can mould his meagre resources into a side that can be one of them. Advertisement Read More On Irish Football Hallgrimsson — who steered his native Iceland to Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup — said: 'Yes, I think we have the material to qualify, for sure. 'From experience, I have qualified with less talent than we have here. So that's my take on this question. Obviously, we would like more players to play at a higher level. 'And I think more players will play at a higher level. They're still not peaking in age and all of that. So I'm pretty confident that we will have more players playing more minutes in the top leagues.' If that is to happen, it will have to be through the transfer market. Advertisement Most read in Football Half of the 16 Irish players who featured in the English Premier League this season suffered relegation, with just Josh Cullen and Alan Browne winning promotion to the top flight. But Hallgrimsson is unconcerned and believes many of the players with sides which dropped down to the Championship had strong individual campaigns. AC Milan sack manager Sergio Conceicao with 25-second VIDEO as brief statement is released He said: 'I think the players that got promoted, the likes of Josh Cullen will play more or less all the minutes for Burnley in the Prem. 'I think as well, the players who were in the teams that got relegated, it was not the players that were that bad, and some of the players were injured, like the likes of Sammie Szmodics. When he played, he played really well. Advertisement 'Dara O'Shea played really well, Ryan Manning played well when he was playing for Southampton. 'So it's not the players, Kasey McAteer is playing every minute now. So the quality is there for sure.' Hallgrimsson had previously suggested that defender O'Shea would not be short of options after catching the eye for Ipswich. And he added: 'I think the teams going up will always recruit the most because they will always try to strengthen their squad. Advertisement 'And just looking back to Nottingham Forest when they got promoted, they bought two times, three times a squad. "So it will always be as well that some players will go to clubs and there are better players at that club. 'The general answer would be we like to have players playing at the highest level, but I would rather have players playing than be on the bench at the highest level. That's the diplomatic answer.' FIRE IN THE FRIENDLIES The friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg will be an opportunity to shine for players who have had frustrating campaigns, such as Will Smallbone and Evan Ferguson, or have revitalised themselves with a loan move, as Andrew Omobamidele Advertisement Hallgrimsson said: 'That's one of the reasons why we need to have camps where we can give players a chance to prove a point for us. "Obviously, because of injuries and then not having the playing time, Will hasn't kind of had the chance to show us what he can do. 'So that's why it's good to have a camp like this and give these players, the Andrews, the Wills, the chance to prove a point. 'Evan as well, normally when we have called him in, he has done pretty good for us. So we know the quality is there, but they haven't been given the platform to show it.' Advertisement Ferguson's loan move to West Ham was not successful in the way Omobamidele's has been, with game time no easier to come by for the 20-year-old forward than it had been at Brighton. It begs the question whether he is simply a victim of circumstances or if he was doing something — or not doing something — to contribute to his woes. Hallgrimsson said: 'I can only judge from the time he's with us. He's been good for us, he's been efficient for us. In training, he looks good. 'So, whatever it is, it's something we cannot control and now we haven't seen him for a long time, so we just want to see him, speak to him and just evaluate where he is.' Advertisement JUNE BREAK Given the various trials and tribulations at club level — but most of all because of the long gap since the Championship season ended — Hallgrimsson is relieved Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign is not starting in this window. There would have qualifiers in June had they been drawn in a five-team group instead of one with four. He said: 'It would have been tough having a similar squad to Bulgaria when we played them, to have a lot of players who finished a month ago, keeping them fit for an important game. 'We couldn't have done what we did, given them an extended holiday and off-season so they will be fit in September, so they will be rested when it comes to the new season, these guys we left out now. Advertisement 'And that's because the June window has not been successful for Ireland in the past, it's been a tricky window, not playing for a month and then coming into the national team camp for a game that's maybe on a higher level than you play on a regular basis. "You are never 100 per cent physically fit or mentally focused after a holiday period.' With Szmodics ruled out, Hallgrimsson has called in another player who spent the season in the Championship, Andy Moran, who was on loan to Stoke City from Brighton. One of the others, Robbie Brady, is the only player to have been involved when Ireland last competed at a tournament, at Euro 2016, with Hallgrimsson keen to keep drawing on his experience. Advertisement He added: 'I can only say from my experience, once you have smelled it, you know how big it is and you want to go again and again and again. 'They know that and we need them to spread that around the young players, just how massive it is and how fun it is — these are the moments you remember when you stop playing. 'To share that experience is so important. I have spoken about Robbie, how good he has been since I came in. "In the absence of Séamus Coleman, him and Matt Doherty have needed to step up in the leadership role.' Advertisement
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Could Ireland's call make Liam Delap a Lions bolter?
Heimir Hallgrimsson remains hopeful that Liam Delap will follow in the footsteps of his father and represent the Republic of Ireland at senior international level. The in-demand Ipswich striker, who is expected to land a big-money move during the summer with Chelsea appearing the most likely destination, is Irish qualified, however, he is currently embedded in the England Under-21 set-up. Delap, son of Rory, who played 11 times for Ireland between 1998 and 2004, came through the ranks at Manchester City and following loan moves to Preston, Stoke and Hull, he signed a permanent deal with the newly-promoted Premier League side in the summer of 2024. Thirty-seven top-flight appearances and 12 Premier League goals later, Delap's impressive season was not enough to save Ipswich from relegation, however, it has cemented opinion about the quality and potential of the emerging frontman. Delap has represented the land of his birth at every international age group from U-16 to U-21 level, and will travel with the highly fancied England squad to Slovakia for next month's European Championships. A futile exercise, perhaps, for Ireland to still harbour hopes of attracting a player of Delap's quality into a squad that has not played at a major tournament since 2016, when the lure of being involved at the latter stages of the Euros and World Cups a veritable possibility if selected for the England senior side. In the meantime, as long as the player remains eligible to declare for the Republic, it would appear that the door remains firmly open with the manager admitting that talks had taken place with the young striker. "Liam has good qualities, everybody knows that," said Hallgrimsson, speaking to the media in Dublin on Thursday. "His father played for the Republic. Obviously, we are always hoping the good players will join us. He is now in the England U-21 squad in the [Euros] finals. "That is his focus at the moment. What will happen after that we will have to wait and see. "We have sat with him yeah," added the manager. "Just told him we would love to have him in our camp. But, like I said, the focus in the [England] U-21s." Hallgrimsson was then asked whether the young striker showed any interest in playing for Ireland. "Well, he didn't say f*** off," laughed the Icelander. But in reality, Hallgrimsson said that despite his admiration for the player and aware of the quality that he would bring to his Republic unit, he accepts that it all comes down to the player as to where allegiances lie. "I feel so, yeah. Probably you feel the same as well?" said Hallgrimsson, when asked if he thought players who have such a strong link should be playing for the national team. "We want the best players available, always playing for us. Others might have other opinions. "It is up to him. These questions you need to ask the player himself, not me. We always want the best players." So moving on from the hypotheticals, Hallgrimsson's focus was brought back to the here and now, and the fact that Ireland have to play two games in the upcoming summer international window. Ireland have failed to fire at this time of year in recent years with many players idle having finished their respective club seasons up to six weeks before the fixtures. Senegal are first up, at Aviva Stadium on Friday, 6 June, followed by an away game in Luxembourg four days later. But thankfully for Hallgrimsson, they are of the rarely spotted friendly variety, which has allowed the manager to use the window to look at some players, a situation that has proved difficult in a competitive environment. "I answer that with a yes," said the manager, when asked if he was relieved that these games were not part of the qualifying campaign. "We couldn't have done what we did, given them an extended holiday and off season so they will be fit in September so they will be rested when it comes to the new season. "And that's because the June window has not been successful for Ireland in the past, it's been a tricky window, not playing for a month and then coming in to the national team camp for a game that's maybe on a higher level than you play on a regular basis. "You are never 100% physically fit or mentally focussed after a holiday period, so yes, I am happy we are not playing World Cup group stage at this time." And Hallgrimsson is trying to focus on the positives of playing two games of little significance ahead of such an important run of matches, and coming off the back of consecutive victories against Bulgaria in March. "So this is one of, maybe, the negative sides in that we are breaking up partnerships that we have been trying to build, but it gives new faces the chance to prove a point, which is for us, playing only five camps a year, there is not many options to give them a chance. "There are always positives to every negative that you have in life so definitely pros and cons." Qualifying for next year's World Cup is the ultimate goal for this Ireland manager, and while the obvious benefits are showcased throughout a month-long football festival, which can lift the mood and often bring the nation to a standstill, Hallgrimsson offered his thoughts about what other benefits a team can gain from qualifying. "It is not only to qualify, but it is this two months of being together, which would continue to grow the team," he explained. "That is not much spoken of, but I think that is one of the reasons why it is always the same teams qualifying, because they spend this valuable time together that other national teams don't get. "So that is the value of time for national teams to be in camp for finals and that is something that we really need at this moment, I would say." Hallgrimsson was also asked whether he had the raw materials to work with to achieve that goal of taking his team to the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer. "I think we have the material to qualify, sure," he said. "I think I have, from experience, qualified with less talent than we have here."
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'He didn't say f*** off' - Hallgrimsson happy to 'wait and see' after Delap talks
Chelsea's €40m target Liam Delap has held talks with Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson about his international allegiances. Delap has represented his native England up to U21 level but the FAI have maintained interest as he's eligible through both maternal and paternal grandparents. Hallgrimsson admitted in October he'd delegated dealings to his assistant John O'Shea – who'd worked with Delap during his loan spell at Stoke City – but the Icelander has now met the player face-to-face. Also present at the meeting was Delap's father Rory, who won 11 caps for Ireland and is currently assistant to Ireland's record caps holder Robbie Keane at Hungarian champions Ferencvaros. Although it appears England are in pole position to retain the Ipswich Town striker, he's free to switch until the Three Lions cap the 22-year-old in a competitive senior international. That won't happen until at least September after Thomas Tuchel opted against drafting Delap in for the June double-header to allow him to remain with Lee Carsley's Euro U21s champions. "We have sat with him, yeah,' admitted Hallgrimsson after finalising his squad for the June friendlies against Senegal on Friday week and Luxembourg four days later. 'We just told him we would love to have him in our camp. Liam has good qualities and 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 for their Euros finals. "That is his focus at the moment. What will happen after that we will have to wait and see." When asked to confirm if Delap remains interested in joining the Boys in Green cause, the Ireland boss took a direct interpretation of their discussion. "Well, he didn't say fuck off," he said with a smile. Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has allowed his star striker to open negotiations with suitors due to his €36m release clause. He scored 12 goals in 37 league appearances for a relegated Tractor Boys side that features an Irish presence in Dara O'Shea, Jack Taylor, Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene. Hallgrimsson isn't overly concerned about their relegation culling the volume of top-flight minutes his players are exposed to. The FAI have painted a bleak picture in their sales pitch to the government for academy funding, arguing 35 players operating across the top five leagues in Europe are a minimum to assemble a successful Ireland team. Once this double-header is completed, Ireland are straight into a blitz of six World Cup qualifiers against Portugal, Hungary and Armenia from September 6 to November 16. Failure to reach USA next year would prolong Ireland's tournament famine to the longest stretch since their qualification breakthrough At Euro '88. 'I think we have the material to qualify, sure,' said the manager who guided Iceland and Jamaica to major tournaments. 'I have, from experience, qualified with less talent than we have here in this Ireland squad. Obviously, we would like more players to play at a higher level and I think more players will. They're still not peaking in age. 'I think the players that got promoted, the likes of Josh Cullen will play, more or less, every minute for Burnley in the Premier League. 'For those relegated, it wasn't that they were that bad – and some like Sammie and Chieo were injured – but Dara O'Shea played really well. 'Ryan Manning did well for Southampton and Kasey McAteer is playing every minute for Leicester City. The quality is there for sure. 'We like to have players playing at the highest level but I would rather have players playing in the Championship than being on the bench.' That criteria would seem to apply in the case of Evan Ferguson. Although he provided winning goals in two of the manager's four victories against Finland and Bulgaria, he endured a disastrous club campaign. A loan move from Brighton and Hove Albion to West Ham United didn't improve the outlook and he may have to drop into the second tier to regain the sharpness he exuded from his teens. 'I can only judge from the time he's with us and he's been good for us, very efficient,' stressed Hallgrimsson. 'Whatever he goes, it's not something we cannot control. We haven't seen him since March, so we just want to see and speak to him, see what's happening and just evaluate where he is.'
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Heimir Hallgrimsson keen for Seamus Coleman to continue international career
The 36-year-old Everton defender has been a mainstay for successive Ireland managers during a senior international career which currently spans more than 14 years, and Hallgrimsson is keeping his fingers crossed that one of his most influential players is still around when Hungary head for Dublin in September for the opening qualifier. Coleman has been forced to withdraw from the squad for next week's friendly against Senegal and the trip to Luxembourg which follows it because of a thigh injury, but the Icelander is keen to retain what he offers both on and off the pitch in the longer term. MNT SQUAD CONFIRMED 🇮🇪 Seamus Coleman and Sammie Szmodics have withdrawn from the squad through injury 🔁 Andrew Moran comes into the squad to face Senegal and Luxembourg with the squad set to report on Sunday, June 1 👏 06/06 | 🇮🇪🆚🇸🇳10/06 | 🇱🇺🆚🇮🇪 — Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) May 29, 2025 Hallgrimsson said: 'He is a leader in this squad and you cannot have his experience in many players. His experience, his leadership skills are one thing, but his quality as a player is another thing as well. 'He's been playing at the highest level for such a long time, so it's a shame for me – and, of course the national team – not to have him around. But hopefully there will come another time for him, hopefully it will be just the off-season and he'll come fit and flying. 'I know he's going to be at Everton in whatever role, maybe a little bit more leadership role, but it's for him to answer if he's going to continue playing or not. 'It's his decision, but I'm hoping – and I know the Evertonians are hoping – he will continue playing.' Sammie Szmodics has withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad through injury (Bradley Collyer/PA) Asked if there was a possibility that Coleman might announce his retirement from international football in the meantime, Hallgrimsson said: 'That's for him to decide, not me.' The Ireland boss, who has not called up the majority of his Sky Bet Championship players for this camp because of the length of time since the end of their regular season, will also have to do without Ipswich's Sammie Szmodics for the double-header after he suffered a reaction while recovering from ankle surgery. Hallgrimsson said: 'We knew that he was injured, we were hopeful that he would be ready. He played, I think, 10, 15 minutes in the last game for Ipswich, but the ankle got swollen afterwards, so we decided it's not worth the risk to have him in our squad now. 'Hopefully he will have a good pre-season and come in flying in September.' Brighton midfielder Andrew Moran, who spent last season on loan at Stoke, has been drafted into the squad as cover. Had Ireland been drawn into a five-team group rather than a four, they would have been playing qualifiers instead of friendlies next month, and Hallgrimsson admits he is happy about that. He said: 'The June window has not been successful for Ireland in the past, it's been a tricky window, not playing for a month and then coming in to the national team camp for a game that's maybe on a higher level than you play on a regular basis. 'You are never 100 per cent physically fit or mentally focused after a holiday period, so yes, I am happy we are not playing World Cup group stage at this time.'
