Sevilla’s Ryan Johansson gets Ireland U21 call

He is joined by Getafe’s John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa who is selected in his first Ireland international squad

Republic of Ireland manager Jim Crawford 

Republic of Ireland U21 manager Jim Crawford has named Sevilla’s Ryan Johansson in his 26-man squad for a triple-header of friendlies against Switzerland, Australia and Denmark in Marbella, Spain.

Johansson, who was declared eligible to play for Ireland following clearance from FIFA last week, is one of seven new faces in the squad. Having played at U19 level, he said of his decision to declare for Ireland:  “I have a lot of family there, my mother is Irish but also football was an important factor brought into the decision. Also the professionalism of the Irish coaches and how they handled everything as well as the staff from the FAI for setting me up to be able to play for Ireland."