FORMER BARCELONA ACADEMY player Zak Gilsenan has been named in the latest Republic of Ireland U19 squad.
18-year-old Gilsenan was born in Perth to Irish parents, and spent two years at the famed La Masia academy in Barcelona before moving to Liverpool. The midfielder signed professional terms with Blackburn Rovers earlier this summer.
He has already been the subject of somewhat of a tug-of-war for his services at international level. Gilsenan played for Australia at U17 level, but was part of an Irish U19 training camp earlier this year, and has now been named in a second training camp, assembling in Dublin this week ahead of November’s European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Bosnia.
Also named is QPR defender Sam Bagan, whose older brother, Joel, is also eligible for Ireland and playing first-team football under Mick McCarthy at Cardiff City.
U19s manager Tom Mohan has held two assessment camps for Irish-based players in recent weeks, with nine home-based players included in this squad including Longford Town’s Matthew O’Brien, who has made four first-team appearances in the Premier Division this year.
The squad gather today and play a behind-closed-doors friendly next Tuesday.
Republic of Ireland Under-19 training camp squad
Goalkeepers: Matthew Boylan (Lincoln City), Toby Bull (Brighton and Hove Albion), Arlo Doherty (Leicester City), Noah Jauny (Stade Brestois), Owen Mason (Mansfield Town), Joe O’Shaughnessy (Wolves).
Defenders: Sam Bagan (QPR), Tommy Fogarty (Birmignham City), Oisin Hand (Shamrock Rovers), Jay McGrath (Coventry City), Jevon Mills (Hull City), Fionn O’Brien (Coventry City), Sean O’Connell (Kerry SL), Connor O’Riordan (Crewe Alexandra), Harvey Oliver-Rowe (Bradford City), Josh Okpolokpo (Huddersfield Town), Callum Sullivan (Birmingham City), Adam Wells (Shamrock Rovers).
Midfielders: Ruairi Behan (Burnley), Oran Crowe (Cork City), Frankie Deane (Celtic), Evan Farrell (Wexford), Zak Gilsenan (Blackburn Rovers),James Golding (Oxford United), Liam Mullan (Derry City), Matthew O’Brien (Longford Town), Tommi O’Reilly (Aston Villa), John Joe Power (Burton Albion).
Forwards: Sinclair Armstrong (QPR),Will Couch (Burnley), Tom Costello (Wigan), Zachary Dunne (Cork City), Cian Kavanagh (Waterford), Sam Knowles (Stoke City), Leon Hennessey (Cork City),
I know some of Zaks family. I’d be absolutely shocked if he jumped shop to play for one of the several other countries he’s eligible to play for. His family are die hard Irish sports fans. He played for Australia for a while at underage level because his parents moved back there and it was convenient but he was only ever going to play for us eventually.
@Ger: he was quoted last year saying he really wanted to play for the socceroos. Good sign he’s in the U19s though.
What’s his connection to Ireland
@Kevin Bury: article got it wrong, he was born in Perth to Irish parents.
Can he score.
Frankie deane!! Remember the name
@Bill Clay: is he Irish or Scottish?