“There are a lot of young talented players playing throughout the country.”
Stephen Kenny was unveiled as the new Republic of Ireland under-21 manager in Dublin on Monday afternoon.
Kenny has left his post as Dundalk manager to coach the under-21 team until August 2020, with a remit to oversee the development of Ireland’s other underage sides.
In 2020, following the culmination of Ireland’s European Championships campaign, he will succeed Mick McCarthy, who was presented as the new Ireland senior team manager on Sunday.
While both men have accepted the nature of the arrangement, and are eager to begin in their new roles, there is still some uncertainty about how it will work out over the next few years.
Kenny was asked on Monday at the Aviva Stadium if he feels under pressure if results don’t go his way before becoming senior team manager.
The former Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers coach said that his remit with the underage sides extends beyond merely getting results and he hopes to try to develop young Irish players.
He also name-checked some of Ireland’s most promising players.
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“I don’t think the under-21s has always been about results,” he said.
“As I said, it’s been about trying to get players through the under-21s and into the senior national team. I’m excited about the under-21 job, I think it’s unusual because, and I didn’t realise myself, last year the age group was (players born in) 1996, for this year its players born in 1998.
“So, there are some players who have been involved with the senior international team, in training and in the squads – Lee O’Connor, Michael Obafemi, Caoimhin Kelleher have been in the squads and there all available for the U21s for this year.
“There are others, players who have been doing well up through the groups, it’s not fair to mention them but obviously Adam Idah and Troy Parrott and people like that have caught the eye.”
Kenny also spoke about some talented young players featuring in Irish domestic football.
It was evident that he believes that there is a promising generation of Irish footballers and he hopes to help them progress to the senior international side.
“There are players in the League of Ireland that are available for the under-21 team right throughout the country,” the former Derry City coach said.
“UCD players like Neil Farrugia and Liam Scales. Will Fitzgerald down in Limerick. Trevor Clarke the left-back at Shamrock Rovers. Darragh Leahy at Bohemians, two really good left-backs. Ali Reghba at Bohemians, players like that.
“I’m leaving a lot out, I would say. There are a lot of young talented players playing throughout the country.”
Kenny also spoke about how Irish football is now more representative of the country as a whole, and that the national team can now call upon players from all over the country.
“There are players in the senior international team, John Egan is from Kerry and Seamus Coleman is from the other end at Donegal.
So, right throughout the country, there are teams represented.
“My job is to help get as many players as we can from every part of the country into the youth international set-up and into the 21s. And then hopefully into the first-team.”
