Ryan Manning targeting bigger things with Ireland
MANNING THE FORT: Ryan Manning during a Republic of Ireland training session at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Matt Doherty had only turned 10 at the start of the year, and Evan Ferguson wouldn’t arrive into the world for another three years and four months, when the Republic of Ireland last featured at a senior men’s World Cup.
Ryan Manning turned six two days before Mick McCarthy’s side lost that agonising penalty shootout to Spain in the round of 16 in Suwon. He watched the game in a pub with his family back in Galway. Great memories.
Now he wants to make more for kids today.
“I remember the Euro campaigns (in 2012 and 2016 as well) and it's such a good time at home here in Ireland. So we definitely need to qualify for a major tournament now and sort of create some memories for the younger generation.”
The odds are against. Not massively, but still against.
Portugal are ranked sixth in the world and expected to claim the only automatic qualifying spot in Group F. Hungary are second seeds and 38th on the FIFA ladder. Then it is Ireland in 60th and Armenia who sit outside the top 100.
Second place and a playoff looks doable.
If Ireland are to make the gathering in North America next summer then that has to start with a positive result, and ideally a win, when the Hungarians visit Dublin for the first of six group games for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side in 10 short weeks.
Manning gives reasons for confidence.
“We've had a tough few years with qualification campaigns but I feel like the squad now, when you look at it, you've four or five club captains within the squad, a lot of people who have a lot of caps, good experienced Premier League players and Championship players.
“The squad is probably in as good a place as it has been in the last few years so I think now is probably the time that we need to step up as a group and put in the performances to qualify and get to a tournament.”
Manning was first called up for the Ireland senior team late in 2018. It was two years before he made his debut and he is still to breach the 20-cap mark all this time later. That sums up much of his experience with the national side.
But things have changed. Hallgrimsson has looked to him more of late and, with Robbie Brady out injured for this window, it looks certain that the former Galway United man will play a major role this next week against Hungary and Armenia.
But where? In the more advanced role of late or at left-back?
“I don't know, I'm happy just to be on the pitch. For me, obviously playing a bit further forward in the last few camps, I've really enjoyed. It just gives another option for me to get up the pitch and gives the manager something else that he can do with me.
It’s not something that is losing Manning sleep on. Full-backs now are as critical in attack as they are defence so he feels there will be licence to play regardless of his place in any formation. And Manning offers another threat besides.
Used as a sub at Southampton at the start of the Championship season, he has benefited from the injury to Welington on that left side, and he had to come off the bench to score one of two direct free kicks this season.
The first effort, against Wrexham last month, was every bit as good as Dominik Szoboszlai’s for Liverpool against Arsenal last weekend. And the follow-up against Watford on the same day as the Hungarian’s Anfield strike wasn’t bad either.
If there’s a secret then he’s not telling.
“I was just messing about in training one day and just tried something different. I suppose I compare it a little bit to golf: you find something that just works and you sort of go with it. I've been doing that.
“I don't want to speak too much in case I lose it again. It's just repetition, just putting the walls up in training and just doing them over and over again and then a bit of luck on the day that they go in.”
