They would improve the squad.
Mick McCarthy has only just returned to the Republic of Ireland manager’s job and has yet to manage a game, but it appears he has been quite busy.
According to a report by Craig Hope in The Daily Mail, McCarthy will “step up his pursuit” of two English-born players who are eligible to play for Ireland – Nathan Redmond and Patrick Bamford.
The report claims that the Ireland boss is considering calling both players up to the squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia in March.
Redmond has been capped by England and played for the country at every underage level. However, as his senior cap came in a friendly – against Germany in March 2017 – he is still eligible to switch international allegiance.
The Southampton winger no longer appears to be in the plans of England manager Gareth Southgate. Redmond, who turns 25 in March, was born in Birmingham and his mother is Irish.
Martin O’Neill was said to be pursuing Bamford and it appears that McCarthy is also interested in recruiting the Leeds United striker.
Like Redmond, Bamford represented England at several underage levels. The former Chelsea forward also played for Ireland at underage level.
On Sky Sports last week, McCarthy said that he intends to speak with Bamford as he tries to bolster his squad ahead of the Euro 2020 qualification campaign.
The 25-year-old is eligible to play for Ireland through the grandparent rule
The Ireland manager has also met with Declan Rice, and set a March deadline for the West Ham United midfielder to decide his international allegiance.
McCarthy looks to be taking a proactive approach to the job and isn’t wasting any time as he seeks to improve the pool of players available to him.
