CONOR COVENTRY IS hoping to end what he admits has been a somewhat frustrating season on a high.

The midfielder is set to captain Ireland U21s, as they prepare for friendlies in the coming days with Switzerland, Australia and Denmark.

Jim Crawford has picked a largely new-look squad for the upcoming matches, with many of the players from the last campaign either ineligible or promoted to the senior set-up.

However, Coventry is one of the few survivors from the Stephen Kenny U21 era. And the 21-year-old did also link up with the senior side in March, with a number of withdrawals leading to his promotion ahead of the games against Serbia, Luxembourg and Qatar.

“It was incredible,” he says. “I just really enjoyed it. The lads I was speaking to about the 21s all spoke so highly of the lads there. It was a great experience.

“Players are playing at the top level — the amount of caps in that squad is staggering really, so I think you can see what it takes to get to that level and how the guys live their lives and how professional they are, so it was really good for me to see it.

“Of course, everyone wants to be there, that’s the pinnacle. But I’m completely focused on where I am now [with the U21s] and trying to help the team do the best we can in these three games.”

At club level though, it has been a difficult season for Coventry. Having gained invaluable first-team experience on loan at Lincoln last year in League One, his latest campaign was disrupted by injury, and partially as a result, the 21-year-old had to be content with just one senior appearance in the EFL Cup with West Ham.

“It’s been a tough one for me with an injury and the frustrations that that’s brought. But I’ve worked hard and I feel like I’m a better player and person now than I was at the start of the season. And I was with the [Ireland] senior team, which was a real highlight. So I’ll just keep working hard and see what next season brings.

“It’s the first [injury] I’ve really had for a long period of time during the season, so I’ve just worked hard and tried to prepare myself the best way I could once I was fit and hit the ground running again.”

With stars such as Declan Rice and Tomáš Souček ahead of him in the midfield pecking order at West Ham, a loan move next season could be Coventry’s best chance of securing regular first-team football.

“It’s a tough one because obviously the team are doing so well this season. It’s pretty hard to break in. Especially when some key players play in my position. So I’ll obviously work hard in pre-season and see what happens, but either way, if it is a loan, I’ll make the most of it, and I’ll go and get 40 games as well.

“I’m at an age now where I’m ready to go and play men’s football and play every week, so I’d say [the Irish management are] watching over me and it can only help me reach the next step.”

Despite the lack of first-team action though, being at West Ham is certainly not without its benefits. The Hammers enjoyed a better-than-expected campaign, finishing just two points off the Champions League spots in sixth. Souček, in particular, has been hailed as a key component of the team’s success. Having joined initially on loan last year, he moved permanently from Slavia Prague for a reported fee of around €21 million in the summer of 2020 and is widely regarded as one of the signings of the Premier League season. Does Coventry see the Czech international midfielder as a role model he can learn from?

“Yes, of course. We’re maybe a different style in the same position, but of course – you’d be stupid not to learn from anyone that you could. He has some great attributes that we’re seeing in the Premier League – that’s why he’s scored so many goals.”

And as one of the few experienced players in the U21 squad, does Coventry find it a challenge adapting with so many new faces around the place?

“I’d say it’s easy enough because we’re all here for the same thing, that’s to play for Ireland and to qualify for the Euros, so we’re all on the same page as soon as we get in the door.

“Jim wants us to play the same way we played before and express ourselves, and the players that are here are all capable of doing that.

“Of course it might take a few training sessions, a little bit to get really on the same page, but we’re all here together and fighting for the same goal.

“When I came into the group, people like Conor Masterson, Zach Elbouzedi, Connor Ronan, Jay Molumby, Dara O’Shea all welcomed me and made me feel a part of it straight away.

“That now falls on me to do the same sort of thing and try to make sure the lads feel comfortable, and that will allow them to play their best stuff.”