FORMER IRISH U21 captain Conor Coventry has been drafted into the senior international squad for Sunday’s Nations League game against England, with Jason Knight suspended.
Knight picked up a yellow card in the early stages of Thursday’s win at home to Finland, which ruled him out of tomorrow’s clash at Wembley. Heimir Hallgrimsson has thus turned to uncapped Coventry, who has been among senior squads in the past without being capped.
Coventry flew from London to Dublin to train with his Irish team-mates this morning, and flew with the team back to London ahead of tomorrow’s game. Having come through West Ham’s academy, Coventry made 10 senior appearances for the club, the bulk of them in the Conference League and League Cup. He played once in the Premier League.
Coventry had a series of loan spells during his time at West Ham, and completed a permanent move to League One’s Charlton Athletic at the start of the year, and has been a fixture of their midfield since.
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“He has been playing really well in League One, and he is ready to play at a higher stage”, said Hallgrimsson of his new call-up. “A really consistent performer, really good on the ball, maybe a little bit more defensive compared to Jason [Knight].”
Ireland have an otherwise fully-fit squad from which to choose.
Ireland can finish no higher or lower than third in their group, with England needing to win to guarantee top spot and automatic promotion to League A.
“We go to this game like all others, to try to win”, said Hallgrimsson. “But it is of course a little relief knowing we are not playing for a position. The pressure is on England, they have to win to win the group. They do not belong in League B as one of the top national teams in Europe, so of course they should be in League A.
“We know what kind of threat England gives us, if we are not ready from the first minute they will punish us.
“If we give them a chance they will take it, they have their weaknesses as well, and we will try to exploit them.”
Though Ireland have nothing material to play for, Hallgrimsson says the game can serve as preparation for the clashes against higher-ranked opponents that await Ireland in World Cup qualifying next year.
“If you think about what the media are saying, the federation are saying: we want to qualify for the World Cup finals, England have hired a new coach, and want to win it. That’s the difference [between] where we are at the moment. If we want to qualify, we know we will [play] two nations above us in the Fifa rankings. We need points against the big nations, home or away. That is a good dress rehearsal for us.”
England interim boss Lee Carsley has meanwhile confirmed Harry Kane will be restored to the starting line-up for Sunday’s game, having been rested against Greece in Athens on Thursday.
Updated at 19.53 with details from press conference
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Coventry called into Irish squad with Knight suspended
LAST UPDATE | 16 Nov
FORMER IRISH U21 captain Conor Coventry has been drafted into the senior international squad for Sunday’s Nations League game against England, with Jason Knight suspended.
Knight picked up a yellow card in the early stages of Thursday’s win at home to Finland, which ruled him out of tomorrow’s clash at Wembley. Heimir Hallgrimsson has thus turned to uncapped Coventry, who has been among senior squads in the past without being capped.
Coventry flew from London to Dublin to train with his Irish team-mates this morning, and flew with the team back to London ahead of tomorrow’s game. Having come through West Ham’s academy, Coventry made 10 senior appearances for the club, the bulk of them in the Conference League and League Cup. He played once in the Premier League.
Coventry had a series of loan spells during his time at West Ham, and completed a permanent move to League One’s Charlton Athletic at the start of the year, and has been a fixture of their midfield since.
“He has been playing really well in League One, and he is ready to play at a higher stage”, said Hallgrimsson of his new call-up. “A really consistent performer, really good on the ball, maybe a little bit more defensive compared to Jason [Knight].”
Ireland have an otherwise fully-fit squad from which to choose.
Ireland can finish no higher or lower than third in their group, with England needing to win to guarantee top spot and automatic promotion to League A.
“We go to this game like all others, to try to win”, said Hallgrimsson. “But it is of course a little relief knowing we are not playing for a position. The pressure is on England, they have to win to win the group. They do not belong in League B as one of the top national teams in Europe, so of course they should be in League A.
“We know what kind of threat England gives us, if we are not ready from the first minute they will punish us.
“If we give them a chance they will take it, they have their weaknesses as well, and we will try to exploit them.”
Though Ireland have nothing material to play for, Hallgrimsson says the game can serve as preparation for the clashes against higher-ranked opponents that await Ireland in World Cup qualifying next year.
“If you think about what the media are saying, the federation are saying: we want to qualify for the World Cup finals, England have hired a new coach, and want to win it. That’s the difference [between] where we are at the moment. If we want to qualify, we know we will [play] two nations above us in the Fifa rankings. We need points against the big nations, home or away. That is a good dress rehearsal for us.”
England interim boss Lee Carsley has meanwhile confirmed Harry Kane will be restored to the starting line-up for Sunday’s game, having been rested against Greece in Athens on Thursday.
Updated at 19.53 with details from press conference
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