Kenny ‘not actively’ courting North players as Mark Sykes to switch Irish allegiances

Mark Sykes

The issue of players from Northern Ireland declaring for the Republic has been a thorny one but Stephen Kenny insists he has not actively recruited any players since taking over the U21 role.

The Republic of Ireland senior manager was speaking on the back of news that Oxford United’s Mark Sykes is the latest to choose the north-south route. The player informed Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough of his decision over the weekend.