Stephen Kenny backs Aaron Connolly to ‘have a big part to play’ in Ireland’s future

Another strange week inside a unique year for Irish football. Damien Duff became Shelbourne manager and Stephen Kenny turned 50 while dealing with doubts about Aaron Connolly's importance to the national cause.

Connolly’s Achilles heel is sore enough for Kenny to reassure a confused media that injury was the only reason for excluding the 21-year-old from a seminal international event next Thursday at the Aviva Stadium.

After Portugal return home to face Serbia, Kenny’s young Ireland squad completes their failed campaign to qualify for Qatar 2022 in Luxembourg. The second result feels as important as ruining Cristiano Ronaldo’s safe passage to next year’s World Cup.

But back to the mercurial Connolly. Brighton manager Graham Potter believes that Kenny dropped the Oranmore native but the Ireland manager is adamant that Connolly informed him on Wednesday that he was not fit enough to join the international camp.

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“I spoke to Aaron yesterday myself, and we both decided,” said Kenny. “He didn’t feel he was really right. Although technically, he could possibly be available next Thursday for selection but he hasn’t been training at all. He feels sore.”

This prompted a line of questioning about Connolly’s value to Ireland, after his energetic performance in Portugal was follow by a half-time substitution against Azerbaijan three days later (a home draw that equally slowed Troy Parrott’s progress).

It is worth remembering that the unvaccinated Callum Robinson was grappling with his second bout of Covid-19. In October, Robinson shrugged off the virus and an avalanche of criticism to bag five goals, including an unforgettable double in Baku and a hat-trick against Qatar, to leave Kenny in no doubt about who should start up front against Portugal.

Should Connolly feature for Brighton against Jeff Hendrick’s Newcastle United on Saturday this entire conversation will descended into conjecture. If fit, Kenny was asked, would he be in this Ireland squad?

"Aaron Connolly is one of our best attacking players," Kenny responded. "He's had an up and down time with injuries and his confidence [has been affected] maybe because he hasn't been playing. It's not easy getting into the Premier League."

This remains a primary concern for Kenny; the Premier League is proving too difficult an environment for most Irish players to command regular exposure. Adam Idah is in the same situation at Norwich City as Connolly while Robinson is thriving in the Championship with West Brom or, better still, see Josh Cullen's rapid career acceleration at Anderlecht.

“Brighton have done brilliant this year and he doesn’t find it easy not playing,” Kenny continued. “Aaron is someone who has a great determination to do well, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he doesn’t hide his disappointment.

“That’s the nature of Aaron, and I’ve had him a couple of years with the under-21s and the senior international team and he will have a big part to play in our future.”

For now, Robinson, Idah, Parrott and Chiedozie Ogbene are Kenny’s main attacking options with the uncapped Will Keane undoubtedly profiting from James McClean’s sensational return to Wigan Athletic. The much-maligned Derry winger has five goals and two assists for the League One club since escaping Stoke City in August.

Séamus Coleman's reappearance at Everton, following a hamstring tear in September, puts McClean in direct competition with Matt Doherty to start at left wing back. The 29-year-old Dubliner has been stuck on the Spurs bench since Emerson Royal arrived from Barcelona but Doherty's performance away to Portugal makes for a tricky selection call.

“We would like to replicate that level of competition in every area. It gives us real competition and proper dilemmas. We’ve got to consider how we manage that.”

‘Manage’ suggests that the 32-year-old Coleman might only start one game.

Options abound. 2021 also goes into the books as a year when the Ireland manager capped 15 players.

“That is unprecedented in the history of football in Ireland, to have that many players come through in one calendar year, into the senior international team. In fact, it is unprecedented in most countries.

“So, it is a radical reshift in terms of style, what we have introduced, in relation to the number of players that we have brought through. It is also a reflection of the brilliant work underage coaches have been doing in the last number of years. I think people are excited by that.”

Such is the lack of nightmarish scenarios, unlike every other international window under Kenny, that he could finish up by categorising Ronaldo in the 'Greatest of all Time' debate. Kenny played it safe, mentioning all the kings, but the "physical brutality" Diego Maradona suffered is what allowed Ronaldo and Messi to fly so high.

“They are protected now in a way that any sort of tackle that is dangerous is an automatic red card.”

This theory might be tested next Thursday night.

Republic of Ireland squad

Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth), Mark Travers (Bournemouth).

Defenders: Séamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Ryan Manning (Swansea City), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Shane Duffy (Brighton), John Egan (Sheffield United), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Nathan Collins (Burnley).

Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Sheffield United, on loan from Aston Villa), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jayson Molumby (West Brom), Alan Browne (Preston), Jamie McGrath (St Mirren).

Forwards: Callum Robinson (West Brom), Troy Parrott (MK Dons), Adam Idah (Norwich City), James Collins (Cardiff City), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic), Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers).

World Cup 2022 qualifiers fixtures

Republic of Ireland v Portugal – Thursday, November 11th (kick-off: 7.45pm, live on RTÉ2)

Luxembourg v Republic of Ireland – Sunday, November 14th (kick-off: 7.45pm, live on RTÉ2)