Heimir Hallgrímsson recently met Liam Delap to gauge whether the England under-21 striker would be interested in declaring for the Republic of Ireland.
Delap’s father Rory, who won 11 caps for Ireland between 1998 and 2004, and Hallgrímsson’s assistant coach John O’Shea were also present.
After scoring 12 goals in the Premier League for relegated Ipswich Town, Delap was named in England under-21’s squad by manager Lee Carsley, along with the Dublin-born Dennis Cirkin, for the upcoming European Championships in Slovakia.
“We have sat with him,” said Hallgrímsson. “Just told him we would love to have him in our camp. But his focus is the [England] under-21s at the moment. What will happen after that we will have to wait and see.”
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Any interest at all? “Well, he didn’t say f**k off,” the Icelander replied.
Rory Delap just won the Hungarian league title at Ferencváros as Robbie Keane’s assistant coach.
The younger Delap has made 12 appearances for the England under-21s, scoring three goals, so if he lines out in the defending champions opening group match against the Czech Republic on June 12th, the FAI will need to apply to Fifa for a change in nationality.
In February, the association appointed Aidan Price, the former Shamrock Rovers academy director, as their head of talent identification and recruitment, with the aim of convincing players such as Delap and Cirkin to declare for Ireland.
The Athletic is reporting that Delap intends to join Chelsea this summer, if Ipswich’s £30 million (€26.4 million) release clause is met, despite interest from Manchester United, Newcastle United, Everton, Nottingham Forest, AC Milan and Juventus.
Cirkin would be a more complicated process for the FAI as he was born in Ireland to Latvian parents before moving to England at three years old.
“We want the best players available, always playing for us,” Hallgrímsson continued. “It is up to him. These questions you need to ask the player himself, not me. We always want the best players.”
In the meantime, the Ireland manager is focused on working with his available strikers, Evan Ferguson, Troy Parrott and Adam Idah, before friendlies against Senegal at the Aviva Stadium on June 6th and away to Luxembourg on June 10th.
Ferguson impressed Hallgrímsson in recent international camps, when he scored against Bulgaria and Finland, despite the 20-year-old’s struggles to command game time in the Premier League with Brighton and on loan to West Ham United.
“I can only judge from the time he’s with us,” said Hallgrímsson. “He’s been good for us, he’s been efficient for us. At training, he looks good. So, whatever it is, it’s something that we cannot control and now we haven’t seen him for a long time, so we just want to see him, speak to him and see what’s happening and just evaluate where he is.”
Séamus Coleman’s future in the game as a player remains in doubt after the 36-year-old was forced to pull out of next month’s games with an injury he sustained in Everton’s last ever match at Goodison Park on May 18th.
Everton manager David Moyes confirmed recently that Coleman will remain at the club next season, but it is unclear whether this will be in a playing or coaching capacity.
On whether Coleman will feature in the World Cup qualification campaign, beginning against Hungary and Armenia in September, Hallgrímsson said: “That’s for Séamus to decide, not me.”
“He is a leader in this squad and his experience is one thing, but his quality as a player is another thing as well. He’s been playing at the highest level for such a long time, so it’s a shame for me and, of course, the national team, not to have him around, but hopefully there will come another time for him, hopefully it will be just the off-season and he’ll come back fit and flying.
“I know he’s [staying] at Everton in whatever role, maybe a little bit more leadership role, but it’s for him to answer if he’s going to continue playing or not. It’s his decision, but I’m hoping – and I know the Evertonians are hoping – he will continue playing."
Hallgrímsson decided not to replace Coleman in a 23-man panel as Matt Doherty, Jake O’Brien, Festy Ebosele and Dara O’Shea can play right back.
However, concerns around Sammie Szmodics return from an ankle injury prompted the Irish management to call up Andrew Moran in place of the 29-year-old attacker.
Hallgrímsson believes that Chiedozie Ogbene will recover from the Achilles tendon surgery he required in November, to feature against Hungary on September 6th.
“According to him he is going to be the fittest player in preseason, so definitely in September he will be ready for us.”
Sadio Mané, the former Liverpool winger, will not travel with the Senegal squad to Dublin next week due to a personal issue.
Ireland squad – Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Max O’Leary (Bristol City), Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur). Defenders: Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Jake O’Brien (Everton), Andrew Omobamidele (Strasbourg, on loan from Nottingham Forest), Liam Scales (Celtic), Robbie Brady (Preston North End), Festy Ebosele (Istanbul Basaksehir), Ryan Manning (Southampton). Midfielders: Jason Knight (Bristol City), Killian Phillips (St Mirren, on loan from Crystal Palace), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), John Joe Patrick Finn (Stade de Reims), Andrew Moran (Stoke City, on loan from Brighton). Forwards: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Evan Ferguson (West Ham United, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Idah (Celtic), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City).
