Crawford expects O'Mahony to have 'big role going forward' for Ireland under-21s

James Abankwah, Mark O’Mahony and Rocco Vata will be the most experienced of the players in the group.

COMING STAR: Eivind Helland of Norway in action against Mark O'Mahony of the Republic of Ireland. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Ireland under-21 head coach Jim Crawford has named a 24-strong squad for the two friendly internationals.

Only players born during, or after, 2004 can feature in the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifiers, with the Sweden games an opportunity to look at players from this age range before competitive games begin next year.