Two Ireland U-19 stars promoted to U-21s

Republic of Ireland U-21 team manager Noel King has named his squad for a friendly international against Austria at The Showgrounds, Sligo on Tuesday, August 9 (kick off: 6pm).

Thu, 04 Aug, 2011 - 13:24

Republic of Ireland U-21 team manager Noel King has named his squad for a friendly international against Austria at The Showgrounds, Sligo on Tuesday, August 9 (kick off: 6pm).

King has included two members of the squad that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA U-19 Championships under Paul Doolin last month with Wolves goalkeeper Aaron McCarey and Derby County midfielder Jeff Hendrick stepping up to U-21 level.

Leeds United defender Aidan White has been called into the squad for the first time. He previously played for England in an U-19 friendly.

“Aidan is a player that we had watched several times by Mick Martin as part of the FAI scouting network in England and comes with an excellent reputation,” said King.

“He is a talented player who can also play on the left side of midfield. This is his first time to link up with the squad so we’ll be interested to see how he settles in.”

King has named 18 players with Robert Brady recalled to the squad.

“A couple of issues needed to be resolved before Robert could come into the squad and I’m pleased there has been a resolution to the situation and am looking forward to having him with us,” said King.

“This game is an important preparation game for us ahead of our opening qualifying game against Hungary in Sligo on September 1. Every friendly match we play is about looking at players to see if they can help strengthen the team for the competitive matches.

“Austria are Hungary’s neighbours so will have some similarities in their approach to the game.

“It would be fantastic if we could qualify for the finals in Israel in 2013 but there is a long journey with a tough group to tackle.”

Republic of Ireland U21 squad v Austria:

Ian McLoughlin - MK Dons FC

Aaron McCarey - Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

Enda Stevens - Shamrock Rovers FC

Aidan White - Leeds United FC

Richie Towell - Celtic FC

Shane Duffy - Everton FC

Gavin Gunning - Blackburn Rovers FC

Rob Kiernan - Wigan Athletic FC

Niall Canavan - Scunthorpe United FC