Aoife Mannion ready to make up for lost time with Ireland

The Manchester United star has seen her time in green limited because of injuries. 

Jess Fitzgerald, right, and Aoife Mannion arrive for a Republic of Ireland women training session at Viola Park in Florence. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Touted as a future international from youth, how unfortunate it was then that Aoife Mannion’s first stab at a major tournament was denied by injury at the age of 27.

Her route of switching allegiance from England only gained traction after Ireland qualified for last year’s World Cup.

Two caps in around this time last year against China and USA elevated her to regular status, only for the Manchester United defender to endure her latest bout of bodily woe.

A revision of her recovery timeline convinced then boss Vera Pauw not to risk her inclusion for the trip to Australia. Their chat on the Belfield campus ended in heartbreak.

“I was in a knee brace because I did my MCL ligament on my knee,” she said of her injury sustained towards the end of United’s WSL campaign.

“I was waiting for that knee brace to come off, thinking it would be four weeks but then the specialist said six.

“Two weeks doesn’t sound like a lot of time but is during the World Cup run-up. Eventually when the brace came off, it was a couple days before the squad was getting announced.

“So I flew over and spoke to her. We had a really good and long conversation in a studio apartment in UCD and it wasn't going to be the direction she was going to go in.” 

That bombshell didn’t deter the Brummie from absorbing the once-in-a-lifetime trip down under, accompanied by her Irish parents.

“I just bunny-hopped onto everyone's holiday,” she admitted.

“I didn't think I was going to enjoy it that much in difficult circumstances of being unavailable. And yet but I actually ended up having a really amazing time, mixing with the fans and going to the stadiums.” 

True to form, one injury was followed by another, and Mannion has only recently returned to the United set-up.

Her Ireland career will be truncated too, snapping a 10-month drought if she features against Italy today or Wales at Tallaght next Tuesday.

In her absence, the team romped to top spot in their Nations League campaign group B, securing promotion to mix it with the best nations for the Euro qualifiers.

That draw on March 5 in Nyon has the potential to pit Ireland and England together – like the men’s Nations League draw – and potentially facing her United teammates Ella Toone and Mary Earps.

“Teams like England and Spain, those who were right at the end of the World Cup, are the best sides to test ourselves against.

“Our team created history by going to the World Cup. The idea we’d be in the same group as those is a big challenge but one the girls are ready to relish.

“We do talk about international games at the club. You've kind of got your club hat on but we do talk about the draws.

"When they found out that I'd be back involved, they were all really excited for me – mentioning the possibility of playing each other in the Euro qualifiers.” 

Italy, ranked 10 places above Ireland in 14th of the Fifa standings, stage their first game at the Fiorentina-owned state-of-the-air Viola Park but Jamie Finn won’t be involved.

The Birmingham City utility player joins Denise O’Sullivan and Tyler Toland on the injured list but her season is over after rupturing her ACL in training. English-born Emily Murphy is down as awaiting international clearance, not the first in recent times apparently left to the eve of the game for the green light.