No Shane Long as Ireland prepare for life after McGoldrick

By Rory Duffy

Stephen Kenny has named his Ireland squad for the upcoming games against England, Bulgaria and Wales.

First up is a clash with Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium. This fixture will take place on Thursday November 12 and will be followed by a trip to Wales in the UEFA Nations League on the 15^th. Ireland then host Bulgaria on the 18^th to round off their triple header.

On the back of the news that David McGoldrick has announced his retirement from international football, Ireland’s hunt continues to find a prolific centre forward. Stephen Kenny has put his faith in Luton Town striker James Collins, along with Aaron Connolly, Adam Idah and Daryl Horgan to find the goals that have proved illusive for this Ireland team.

Surprisingly, Tipperary' Shane Long has been left out of the squad along with Preston North End forward Sean Maguire, who started our last game against Finland. Meanwhile, Jack Byrne is the sole League of Ireland representative in the squad while Seamus Coleman has recovered from his hamstring injury to be named.

Kenny will be hoping for a smoother international break this time around after the disruption that Covid-19 has caused in the squad last month.

The squad is as follows: