'Conor is our player - always has been' - Ireland U21 boss Crawford sends signal to Scots

Captain Hodge returns as former Scot Connor O'Riordan makes his second appearance for the boys in green.

Ireland can secure maximum points with a win against Latvia.

Ireland U21 manager Jim Crawford has named his 22-man squad to face Latvia in the Euro U21 Championship qualifier on Friday week in Riga (1pm, Irish time).

Highly-rated Crewe Alexandra 19-year-old defender Connor O'Riordan has been called up after withdrawing from the Scottish U21 squad only days ago.

O’Riordan was called for by the Scots on Monday but the next day, the Scottish FA confirmed the teen was out and Crawford has today recalled the once-capped powerhouse for the qualifier away to Latvia.

“Essentially Conor is our player – he always has been,” affirmed Crawford, who is chasing his third straight win in the campaign next week.

“I didn't have an inkling he’d be picked in the Scotland squad but these things happen at underage football moreso than senior. We’ve had the conversation and all I can say is that he is desperate to play for of Ireland and that's the type of player you want here.” The Ireland boss then explained the background to the English-born defender’s involvement with Ireland.

“We brought him in with the Ireland U20s team against the amateur team last year and he has always been on our radar.

“When he got called up into our March camp against Iceland, unfortunately he tweaked his hamstring in training in the build-up so we brought him in for June.

“Everybody in the room understands that June is challenging window in terms of player-fitness levels. He would have played two out of the three games, but one game for whatever reason didn't happen and the next game was abandoned.

“In the buildup to September, Connor wasn't playing or didn't start the season with Crewe. He played a couple of games just before the window.

“Connor is somebody that is always there or thereabouts in the squad. I just felt at that time he needed a few more games. He was always going to be part of the U21s.

“He’s playing well, a big centre-back dominant in both boxes and that is something we might need in this game against Latvia. They are very good at set-pieces, aggressive, and have a lot of good players with regards counterattacking football. They held top seeds in the group, Italy, to a scoreless draw recently.” 

Captain Joe Hodge returns to the squad, having missed the last two international games with a hamstring injury.

Speaking about his selected squad and the game against the Latvians, Crawford said: "We started the campaign with two great performances against Turkey and San Marino and we have an opportunity to follow this up by going to Latvia and securing maximum points. Latvia have proved they are a difficult opponent so we’re under no illusion how much of a challenge this will be.

"It’s great to have Joe Hodge back with us, he’s our captain and is a big player for us. It’s also pleasing to see Armstrong Oko-Flex and Connor O’Riordan impressing with their clubs in recent weeks and earning a place back in the squad."

Meanwhile, Crawford expressed his desire to have a decision from Tom Cannon on his international allegiance by the end of the year.

Cannon has joined Leicester City for £7m after making his Premier League breakthrough wit Everton last night but made himself unavailable to Ireland in May amid interest from his homeland of England. He is currently sidelined with a back injury but is eligible for this U-21 campaign that includes matches against Italy, Norway, Latvia and San Marino.

“Tom just started training on Monday but regarding us sitting down and having a conversation with him, that hasn’t happened yet,” he explained.

“I’d say between this window and the next window, there should be conversations with Tom because he is a player that you know would certainly add to the 21s.

“It’s just unfortunate where the whole thing sits at the minute. I think he’s an excellent footballer and he’s certainly someone we could do with.”

Republic of Ireland U-21 squad: 

Goalkeepers: Killian Cahill (Brighton), Josh Keeley (Tottenham Hotspur) Owen Mason (Wexford);

Defenders: James Abankwah (Charlton), Sam Curtis (St. Pat's), James Furlong (Hull City), Anselmo Garcia MacNulty (PEC Zwolle), Sean Grehan (Crystal Palace), Bosun Lawal (Fleetwood Town), Connor O’Riordan (Crewe Alexandra);

Midfielders: Baba Addeko (Wigan), Zak Gilsenan (Blackburn), Matt Healy (Royal Francs Borains), Joe Hodge (Wolves), Ed McJannet (Lecce), Andrew Moran (Blackburn), Rocco Vata (Celtic);

Forwards: Sinclair Armstrong (QPR), Aidomo Emakhu (Millwall), Johnny Kenny (Shamrock Rovers), Armstrong Oko-Flex (FC Zürich), Tony Springett (Norwich).