HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON has named three uncapped players in his Ireland squad for the Nations League play-off against Bulgaria.
Watford pair James Abankwah – who is on loan from Udinese – and Rocco Vata have been included, along with QPR’s Jimmy Dunne.
Abankwah has been doing well since arriving at Vicarage Road on loan[/caption]
As expected, Sinclair Armstrong – capped once by Stephen Kenny – has won his first call-up from Hallgrímsson, as has his Bristol City team-mate Mark Sykes.
But a whopping 11 players who were in the squad in November for the matches against Finland and England are missing.
Sammie Szmodics has undergone ankle surgery while Festy Ebosele has yet to feature for his new club Istanbul Basaksehir.
Tom Cannon is expected to feature for Sheffield United in the Steel City Derby against Sheffield Wednesday despite not being involved midweek against Bristol City but has been left out, as has his former Leicester City team-mate Kasey McAteer.
McAteer has not made a matchday squad for the Foxes since they turned down a bid from Sunderland to buy the winger.
Also omitted is keeper Max O’Leary – who makes way for the fit-again Gavin Bazunu – along with defenders Ryan Manning, Mark McGuinness and Liam Scales, who is suspended for the first leg following his sending off at Wembley.
There is also no room for regular skipper Séámus Coleman who was back on the bench for Everton last weekend.
Midfielders Jayson Molumby, Andrew Moran and Conor Coventry also miss out with Will Smallbone and Jack Taylor available again.
Ireland take on Bulgaria in the promotion-relegation decider in Plovdiv next Thursday and Dublin 72 hours later.
Ireland squad: Kelleher (Liverpool), Travers (Middlesbrough, on loan from Bournemouth), Bazunu (Standard Liége, on loan from Southampton)
O’Brien (Everton), Doherty (Wolves), Collins (Brentford), O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Dunne (Queens Park Rangers), Abankwah (Watford, on loan from Udinese), Brady (Preston North End), O’Dowda (Cardiff City)
Cullen (Burnley), Knight (Bristol City), Taylor (Ipswich Town), Sykes (Bristol City), Smallbone (Southampton), Azaz (Middlesbrough)
Ferguson (West Ham, on loan from Brighton), Idah (Celtic), Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Armstrong (Bristol City), Johnston (West Brom), Vata (Watford).
