Ireland U21 boss Jim Crawford hoping to get West Ham rising star Mipo Odubeko on board

Pictured, from left, Matthew McCarthy, aged 14, from Carrigdine, Republic of Ireland Under-21 Manager Jim Crawford, FAI Football For All Development Officer for Munster Nick Harrison and David Wall, aged 15, from Wilton, during Football For All INTERsport Elverys Summer Soccer School at Carrigaline United AFC, Carrigaline in Cork. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

As international travel opens up, Ireland U21 boss Jim Crawford is confident that a face-to-face meeting with Mipo Odubeko will establish whether the West Ham striker is onboard for his European qualification campaign.

Crawford, along with senior boss Stephen Kenny, have been kept waiting for an answer from Odubeko, the Dublin-born striker who has alternative options with Nigeria through ancestry and England via the residency rules.

All three suitors may be snubbed in the short-term at least if the forward opts to channel all his energies into building on his breakthrough season once the Premier League campaign kicks off in three weeks.

For Crawford, the crucial window for a decision is imminent.

Ireland need something from their opening qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Luxembourg in early September, both away, to avoid being left behind by top seeds Italy and Sweden in the quest to reach the 2023 finals.

“I have a few trips to the UK planned before the squad is announced,” explained Crawford yesterday, deep in planning for his first full qualification tilt at the helm.

“The lines of communication with Mipo have always been open but I’d like to make a meeting with him happen.

“That’s important because Mipo has fantastic potential. And, as I’ll be telling him, there’s no better way of showing that potential in competitive qualifiers against top nations such as Sweden and Italy.” Whatever about Odubeko’s status, the double-header will come too soon in the rehabilitation schedules of Will Smallbone and Joe Hodge.

Both midfielders sustained serious injuries during last season, Hodge’s back injury preventing him from kicking a ball during a loan stint from Manchester City to Derry City. “It’s a pity for both players but they’ve still a bit to do in terms of recovery,” sighed Crawford.

Adding to the selection problems is a one-match suspension for Nathan Collins.

If Burnley’s €17m recruit from Stoke City doesn’t receive his first senior call-up from Kenny for the September window, Crawford admits it would be remiss not to use him for the second of his assignments in Luxembourg.

On the upside, John Patrick Finn — the 17-year-old Getafe first-teamer — is on course to make his debut in Zenica on September 3, while new cap Ryan Johansson has featured in Sevilla’s pre-season action.

Derby County’s financial issues are likely to improve Festy Ebosele’s chances of more game-time following his impressive cameo against Manchester United over the weekend, while the growth of Dawson Devoy on the home circuit makes him a viable option for the competitive fare.

“A lot will have happened to players by the time I pick the first squad of the qualifiers in four weeks’ time,” said Crawford.

“There’ll be a Plan B and C depending on what players are available and playing for their clubs but the important thing is that we take something from Bosnia.

“We know where to exploit Bosnia’s weaknesses and I feel that if we perform like I know we can, the result will take care of itself.

“If we don’t, then we could be already behind the eight-ball going into the qualifiers with Sweden and Italy in November.”

Meanwhile, Crawford said he and his U21 squad are delighted to be linking up with the FAI’s Football For All (FFA) initiative.

The former Newcastle United midfielder yesterday visited a specialised FFA FAI summer camp in Carrigaline United, 10 years on from the Cork club formally establishing an FFA wing to their operation.

“I have personal experience of helping to set up FFA clubs in Dublin at Sacred Heart and Tallaght Town, fully aware of the joy it beings to kids and their families,” he said.

“There’s a number of FFA camps running this summer and I was delighted to visit the set-up in Carrigaline.

“It is vital that football is available to all because everyone is entitled to play.

“There’s 4,000 members in FFA and we’ll be thrilled to welcome them to our U21 qualifiers and training sessions in October and November.

“I know that our players will be very supportive of the link-up and it’s a relationship that I can see evolving over the next few years.”