Ireland's future - the movers and shakers for the Nations League and World Cup

Here we look at the current squad and what age they’ll be in the programme of friendlies in November, March and June gives way to the serious pursuit of points next Autumn.

Sat, 21 Oct, 2023 - 07:09

John Fallon

Age waits for nobody and while the hiatus in meaningful Ireland games will offer time for a clutch of players to develop, it will be the enemy for several stalwarts.

There’s nothing but pride on the line for the November 18 visit to Netherlands, after which 10 months passes until the next competitive match in September 2024.

That six-match campaign isn’t even considered qualifiers as the connection of Nations League to reaching major tournaments is only a fallback route and still requires winning two playoff rounds.

It will be 17 months before Ireland are involved in a regulation regular; qualification for the 2026 World Cup begins in March 2025.

As FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill pertinently declared, while affording Stephen Kenny a futile stay to see out his contract as manager, tournaments are imperative for Irish football and the association.

Otherwise that albatross of legacy debt, albeit reduced to €44m, will continue to impair investment in worthy parts of the game.

To end the decade-long major tournament drought, and ensure it’s not the exception, the FAI need a capable new manager and a group of players of suitable talent and experience to bely their seeding.

The sequence of shocks in the current Euro campaign, with Albania, Romania and Turkey well positioned to qualify, and Scotland doing so by beating Spain, illustrate its possibility.

Ireland weren’t rookies when it came to meetings with top seeds France and Netherlands during the failed campaign but as it reaches conclusion have the second-youngest team of all participants.

That average age of 25.6 years old was skewed by the absence of Séamus Coleman for all but the March opener against the French but indicates the changing demographic.

By the time the campaigns start, both the Nations League and the World Cup, veterans will have left the stage or their consequential club struggles will count against them.

James McClean’s swansong on November 21 in the final game of the year, the friendly against New Zealand, was also anticipated but the 34-year-old’s drop into League Two switched the terms of his departure beyond his control.

He was dropped for this month’s window, no situation a centurion wants to find themselves in when the twilight arrives. Glenn Whelan recalls Martin O’Neill ‘retiring’ him before his successor Mick McCarthy felt differently in 2019.

An exodus, like McCarthy found after his first campaign concluded in 1997, isn’t envisaged but those on the wrong side of 30 have thought to give to their Ireland futures.

Conversely, the logic goes that the batch of youngsters Stephen Kenny blooded will attain the exposure to be better international players and benefit the Ireland team overall.

Complementing with a few other bolters outlined below could be develop into a generational shift.

There’s been a suggestion that his successor will reap the benefits but recent history onwards from the Kerr’s kids demonstrates potential doesn’t always upgrade to end product.

Here we look at the current squad and what age they’ll be in the programme of friendlies in November, March and June gives way to the serious pursuit of points next Autumn.

Players will also bear in mind in their decision-making the six-month gap to the qualifiers and so we detail each of their ages at that point.

DILEMMA TIME LOOMS?

Séamus Coleman:

Age at start of Nations League (Sept ’24): 35

Age at start of World Cup qualifiers (March ’25): 36

Age for World Cup (June 2026): 37.

Ireland’s captain has battled back from serious injuries to represent his country with distinction. Kenny cited the example of Switzerland’s Stephan Lichtsteiner as evidence of longevity but that was in the context of the next Euros, not the World Cup.

Enda Stevens:

Age at start of Nations League (Sept ’24): 34

Age at start of World Cup qualifiers (March ’25): 34

Age for World Cup (June 2026): 36.

Injuries have blighted his impact, most recently when hobbling off in Paris. A new wave of left-sided players for his position such as Liam Scales and Ryan Manning could also influence the decision.

Scott Hogan:

Age at start of Nations League (Sept ’24): 32

Age at start of World Cup qualifiers (March ’25): 32