Tonight’s Italian job for Ireland’s U21s will be boosted if Conor Masterson can repeat his shackling of Wolves striker Patrick Cutrone.

“I’m feeling very well. Obviously I had a stay (in hospital) in Sweden and there is probably not a better health system you could have than in Sweden so it wasn’t the worse place to be not well in.

Such are the riches of talent constantly emerging, Ireland U21 manager Stephen Kenny admits he’s finding it difficult to settle on his preferred starting team.

Stephen Kenny and his Swiss friend Christophe Moulin have many things in common such as their coaching philosophy, a Pro Licence qualification from the Northern Ireland FA and even their year of birth.

Six games into his reign as Ireland U21 manager and Stephen Kenny believes his side are gearing up well to reach a first-ever major tournament.

Stephen Kenny cited a gruelling schedule for Ireland U21s not pushing Brazil harder in yesterday’s Toulon Tournament semi-final.

Stephen Kenny insists his U21 heroes will relish their Toulon Tournament semi-final against Brazil.

Stephen Kenny saluted his Ireland U21 warriors for securing a draw against Mexico which puts them on the brink of reaching the Toulon Tournament semi-finals.

It will be the first time since 2002 that Ireland have competed in the tournament.

The star of Stephen Kenny’s Ireland U21 soccer team, Connor Ronan, has assured Ireland fans that he has no intention of emulating Declan Rice by defecting to his homeland, England.

Republic of Ireland 3-0 Luxembourg

The only doubt Stephen Kenny has about Troy Parrott’s readiness for U21 action relates to the player’s current injury problems.

International football is these days resembling a transfer market and this time Martin O’Neill is nursing the bloody nose.

With an ageing squad Ireland have so far negotiated a strong path towards Russia but the man responsible for harnessing the next generation, Ruud Dokter, is confident there’s sufficient talent to fill the gaps in the next campaign.

As they once again failed to take their chances, Tom Mohan’s young Ireland could have no complaints as a sublime goal from Marcus Edwards saw their journey at these Uefa U17 Championships in Bulgaria emphatically ended.

Ireland 0 Holland 0: It was a game they could have lost heavily; at the finish, a match they might even have won.

Seeing the Republic of Ireland name inscribed on the Uefa U17 championship trophy yesterday provided current boss Tom Mohan with added motivation as they kick off their 2015 challenge here in Bulgaria.

Tom Mohan has told his Republic of Ireland Under-17s to simply go and compete at next week’s UEFA championship finals in Bulgaria.

Ireland U17 manager Tom Mohan, who has led the squad to next month’s European finals in Bulgaria, has defended the FAI’s pursuit of English-born players eligible for the Republic.