Republic of Ireland manager Eileen Gleeson will have to make do without two of her first choice midfielders for the upcoming friendlies against Italy and Wales, Denise O’Sullivan and Tyler Toland withdrawing from her squad on Sunday with knee injuries.
Peamount United’s Erin McLaughlin, already capped twice by Gleeson, and 17-year-old Jess Fitzgerald, earning her first senior call-up, have been brought in as replacements.
There will be doubts too about the fitness of Louise Quinn whose dislocated shoulder saw her sit out Birmingham City’s game on Sunday, while Aoife Mannion was an unused substitute for Manchester United in their defeat by Arsenal, the defender having played just a couple of minutes since last May after suffering medial ligament damage.
Just 14 of Gleeson’s 26-strong squad started at the weekend, although some of their clubs - like those of her United States-based players and Diane Caldwell in Switzerland - were off duty.
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Amber Barrett, recalled to the squad having been left out last time, played her part in Standard Liege going top of the Belgian Super League with a 3-0 win over erstwhile leaders Oud-Heverlee Leuven, Claire O’Riordan, omitted again by Gleeson, at the heart of their defence.
Izzy Atkinson, meanwhile, is having a happy time of it at Crystal Palace, who she joined from West Ham in the January transfer window, scoring in her second successive game in a 4-0 win over Blackburn that keeps them within a point of Championship leaders Sunderland.
Defender Hayley Nolan, also left out by Gleeson, played no small part in another clean sheet for the London club, topping off a spell that saw her win Palace’s player of the month award.
Back in the WSL, Everton picked up their first home win of the season with a 2-0 defeat of West Ham, Courtney Brosnan and Heather Payne doing their bit against a side that featured Jess Ziu, another who was recalled to the Irish squad after a lengthy injury spell. Ireland play Italy in Florence on Friday, before taking on Wales in Tallaght the following Tuesday.
IRELAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Reading – on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United), Jess Fitzgerald (Peamount United)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University)
FIXTURES
Friday, February 23rd: Italy v Ireland, Viola Park, Florence, kick-off 18:15 (17:15 Irish Time), Live on RTÉ NewsNow
Tuesday, February 27: Ireland v Wales, Tallaght Stadium, kick-off 19:30, Live on RTÉ2
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