Ireland's Max Kovalevskis 'highly unlikely' to play any further part at U17 World Cup

Having been ruled out of Tuesday's nil-all draw with Paraguay, it is now understood the Shamrock Rovers youngster's tournament has been brought to a premature end by FIFA's return-to-play protocols.

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025 - 14:02

Shane Donovan

Republic of Ireland under-17s winger Max Kovalevskis' World Cup looks to be over following the concussion he suffered against Uzbekistan on Saturday.

Having been ruled out of Tuesday's nil-all draw with Paraguay, which secured Colin O'Brien's side top spot in Group J and a Round of 32 date with Canada, it is now understood the Shamrock Rovers youngster's tournament has been brought to a premature end by FIFA's return-to-play protocols.

Speaking on Kovalevskis' situation on Wednesday, head coach O'Brien said any further involvement is "highly unlikely".

"At the moment, we have to follow the FIFA protocols for Max. It's highly unlikely he'll feature again in the tournament," O'Brien said. "It's a huge blow, he is an absolutely wonderful young man, full of humility, a really popular person within in the squad.

"It's the protocol around concussion, especially for players that are under the age of 18, his return to play just won't fit in with the rest of the period, basically, for the tournament."

O'Brien was keen to stress that Kovalevskis - scorer of the fourth goal against Panama on matchday one - will remain with the group, a major boost given his standing amongst his peers in camp.

"He's staying with us. He's a valuable member. It's been a tough one for him to take. But when things settle and as he goes on in his career, you can always say he played at a World Cup and scored at a World Cup.

"There's a fantastic support staff around Max. But more importantly, your best source of support in times like this is your teammates, simple as that and the boys have been absolutely fantastic with him. We have strong harmony and unity there.

"He's accepted it now. He's processed it. But he's staying around with us because, as I said, he's such a valuable member."

Ireland face Canada on Thursday (kick-off, 3.15pm Irish time), and O'Brien and his coaching staff will prepare their side for an "organised, athletic and dangerous" outfit. Once more, there'll be no underestimating their opposition.

"They came out of a fairly tough group with France, Uganda and Chile," Cork native O'Brien said. "So, just to come into the mindset (of it), every tournament we're involved in, you just cannot underestimate any team.

"They've performed well in this tournament so far. We started the prep on them immediately yesterday, once we knew the draw last night. They've a strong team organisation.

"They're very dangerous on the counter-attack, a lot of their players have that kind of American influence in the game there. It's a country where the game is well-resourced at youth level, a lot of players are playing in the MLS, playing in Europe.

"So they are a very dangerous team in certain aspects, quite athletic, very good in central areas. So, we'll just have to be at our best."

For matchday two goalscorer Grady McDonnell, it'll be a particularly special outing.

Club Brugge's Canadian-born midfielder - formerly of Vancouver FC - qualifies for Ireland through his grandfather, and Friday's clash is one he will be striving to feature prominently in.

"It just shows you what a small world it is. Grady has strong Irish roots, and he's been with us for a long time. This is a game he's really relishing, like all the squad," concluded O'Brien.