Anything to be said for capping this young lad against Gibraltar next month?!
Declan Rice has made his decision and he will hope to be included in the next squad England boss Gareth Southgate names.
The 20-year-old West Ham star will forever have three caps for the Republic of Ireland. However, after requesting to be allowed transfer his international allegiances, the Londoner will hope to amass much more than that in the coming years.
Ireland boss Mick McCarthy wished Rice ‘good luck’ but his focus is now on assembling the best possible squad of players for the upcoming European Championships qualifiers.
Former Manchester United forward Will Keane has been speaking to McCarthy about declaring for Ireland while Luco Connell has flashed on the radar after an impressive start to senior team life at Bolton.
The Liverpool-born midfielder has played for Ireland’s U17 and U18 sides and is highly regarded within the underage set-up on this side of the Irish Sea.
He made his senior Bolton debut against Walsall, in the FA Cup, last month and his league debut followed soon after when he came off the bench in a loss to West Brom. Wanderers boss Phil Parkinson then handed the 17-year-old his first start against Bristol City and he was in the first XI, four days later, for a 1-1 draw with Reading.
He missed his side’s defeat to Norwich this weekend due to a calf injury. There is a chance that Ireland U21 boss Stephen Kenny may elevate him to his squad, in the coming weeks, but there are reports, in The Sun, that England are monitoring his situation.
Connell, who has been at Bolton since the age of nine, has already been watched by scouts of Premier League sides Brighton and Southampton. It is very, very early in his career but holding his own in the Championship at the age of 17 would definitely be enough to turn some heads.
For the record, McCarthy’s Ireland side are in competitive Euro 2020 action against Gibraltar on March 23.
