HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON has challenged his Ireland newbies to show they are here for the present as well as the future.
Hallgrímsson gave first senior call-ups to Watford pair Rocco Vata, 19, and 21-year-old James Abankwah with QPR’s Jimmy Dunne, 27, a third uncapped player brought in.
Defender Abankwah has done well since heading to Vicarage Road on loan[/caption]
The Icelander showed against England in November – when he handed Mark McGuinness his debut – that he is not afraid to throw players in at the deep end.
And, although that did not work out particularly well, with McGuinness omitted from the squad following the 5-0 defeat at Wembley, it has not put him off.
He said: “We selected everyone with that in mind. We think they are ready to play.
“Even though we think they are players who will be good in the future, we don’t select unless we think he can play.
“That’s how I see it. I will trust all the players to play.”
Abankwah signalled his intent to make an impression at Watford – after joining on loan from Udinese – when he was booked 28 seconds into his debut for a crunching tackle on Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
But Hallgrímsson said: “He is really mature in his way of playing.
“He is comfortable on the ball, really fast, physical so he wins the aerial.”
“He is comfortable on the ball, good passes, strong passes, forward and breaking the lines.
“There are a lot of things that he brings to the table for sure. But the attitude is one.”
And he has been impressed by Jake O’Brien’s breakthrough at Everton even if at 6ft 6in he might not fit the profile your average full-back.
He said: “That’s generalising but that is why he has been really impressive and also going forward, he has been really good going forward if you have seen his matches.
“That has been impressive and of course when you have a guy like this on the far post in the box, it’s difficult to defend when you have a player with his attributes in the box. That’s a big advantage.”
