Darren Randolph: Ireland manager refuses to shut the door on goalkeeper's international career

Goalkeepers, from left, Darren Randolph, Caoimhin Kelleher and Mark Travers during a Republic of Ireland training session last year. From that squad, Gavin Bazunu replaces Randolph. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Darren Randolph’s Republic of Ireland career is far from over despite the goalkeeper’s exclusion from Stephen Kenny’s latest national squad.

The Ireland manager has opted to select Gavin Bazunu, Caoimhin Kelleher and Mark Travers for the upcoming trio of World Cup qualifiers against Portugal, Azerbaijan and Serbia with the veteran Randolph missing out as a result.

“Darren has been a terrific goalkeeper for Ireland,” said Kenny. “He had a good pre-season then he got Covid, which interrupted his training. He's back training now but the other three goalkeepers have been excellent recently. I am very happy with their form and they stay in the squad.” Asked if this was the end of the road for the 34-year old who has been capped 50 times but has struggled for game time at West Ham United, Kenny was emphatic.

“Absolutely not.” His latest 25-man squad is notable for the absence of other familiar faces besides. James McCarthy will not play a part due to the fact that he hasn’t been available to Celtic in recent days. The October international window is a more realistic target for him.

Robbie Brady’s bid to find a new club after his departure from Burnley and recovery from an Achilles problem has also resulted in a watching brief this next week and more but Kenny clearly sees a way back in for the midfielder.

“I’m a massive fan of Robbie Brady. I rate him very highly. He has been in all my squads but just had an Achilles injury that he has got sorted back. He’s back training and I’m sure maybe October is more realistic for him, signing for a club and getting fixed up and getting some matches under his belt.

“He’s still so young and he has got so much football left in him. He’s such a talent. It’s only a few years since he was probably our most talented player in the country. He’s well capable of rediscovering some of that form and we’d love him back in the squad.” As is so often the case, it was the absentees rather than those who made the squad who generated the greater interest when Kenny faced the media and there assurances that Newcastle United’s Ciaran Clark is another who may play a role again down the line.

He has lost out to the superior cases made by Dara O’Shea and Shane Duffy, who have both made strong starts to the season with their clubs, and Nathan Collins who debuted for Burnley in the EFL Cup this week.

Another point to note in this squad is the absence of any League of Ireland participants though the manager did reveal that Shamrock Rovers’ Liam Scales and Dundalk’s Michael Duffy were close to being involved.

“Liam Scales is next one in on the left side. James McClean and Ryan Manning have obviously played a lot of games in that position. It’s a new position for Liam, left wing-back. He’s always been a left centre-back.

“I played him left-back in fact against Italy with the U21s. So he has really developed very well at Shamrock Rovers this year and scored some very good goals. He’s probably next one in there.

“Ryan Manning has done very well in that position for Swansea for a while now. Michael Duffy is the other one pushing strong and was very close to the squad. He could still feature over the three games, depending on how it goes.” Scales is apparently on the cusp of a move to Celtic on the back of his impressive form for the Tallaght side and Kenny suggested that at least three of those players in an Ireland squad that meets up in the coming days could soon be at new clubs.