Ireland Midfield Injuries Could Open Door for Late LOI Call-Up

Ireland’s midfield options are already being stretched before Heimir Hallgrímsson’s squad has even held its first training session.

Bosun Lawal, Jamie McGrath and Harvey Vale are all fitness concerns ahead of Thursday night’s Nations League opener against Kosovo, leaving Ireland monitoring three of the seven midfielders originally selected for a four-game window packed into just 11 days.

All three missed club action over the weekend. Lawal’s recovery wasn’t far enough along for him to make Stoke City’s squad for their 2-1 win over Sheffield United, while McGrath and Vale were both named to start for Hibernian and QPR before pulling out during their respective warm-ups.

Hibs have confirmed McGrath suffered a calf problem. QPR have not given any further detail on Vale. All three have reported to Ireland’s base ahead of Monday’s first training session and none has withdrawn from the squad.

Lawal was always going to require a bit of patience. Hallgrímsson named him in the squad despite already knowing he was injured, with Ireland working alongside Stoke in the hope that he could become available later in an unusually busy international window.

“He is injured at the moment, but we still rate him that highly. We still want him in the camp, being with us and around us. I don’t expect him to play much.”

Ireland play four games in 11 days, beginning in Pristina on Thursday before facing Israel in Debrecen three days later. Austria then visit Dublin on 1 October, followed by another Israel fixture in Bačka Topola on 4 October. Hallgrímsson had already accepted that Lawal might contribute little to the opening part of that run. McGrath and Vale developing problems at the same time leaves considerably less room to manage him gently.

The seven midfielders named on Thursday were Finn Azaz, Conor Coventry, Jason Knight, Jayson Molumby, McGrath, Vale and Lawal. Josh Cullen, ordinarily central to how Ireland set up in midfield, is already unavailable, so losing even one more option would leave Hallgrímsson with a fairly small group to carry through four matches.

It also brings the League of Ireland back into the conversation.

That wouldn’t be nearly as unusual as it might have sounded a year ago. Hallgrímsson’s Canada group ultimately had a sizeable League of Ireland presence. Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper Ed McGinty, winger Adam Brennan and midfielder Matt Healy were involved alongside Bohemians captain Dawson Devoy, Cork City goalkeeper Conor Brann and St Patrick’s Athletic midfielder Kian Leavy, while Rovers teenager Josh O’Dwyer travelled as a training player.

Devoy went a step further. He started against Canada alongside Coventry and became the first current League of Ireland player to play for the senior side since Jack Byrne in November 2020. Leavy was also handed his debut from the bench, becoming the first St Pat’s player to be capped by Ireland since 1971. Hallgrímsson has therefore already used this year’s domestic season to look beyond his usual pool rather than simply filling out training numbers.

If another midfielder is required this week, Devoy is difficult to leave out of the discussion.

The 24-year-old is captain of a Bohemians side still involved in the Premier Division title race and provided a fairly timely reminder of his form on Friday. With Bohs heading towards a costly draw against Drogheda United and Shamrock Rovers winning in Tallaght, Devoy struck in the 90th minute to win the game and keep Alan Reynolds’ side in touch near the top.

It was also the sort of moment that rather conveniently gets an international manager’s attention four days before his first training session.

Devoy would not be a completely straightforward replacement, though.

He was one of the League of Ireland players who signed the Stop The Game letter calling for Ireland’s Nations League fixtures against Israel to be boycotted. Speaking in August, after already making his senior Ireland debut, Devoy became the first current international to publicly support a boycott of the games.

Asked what he would do if selected for this window, he said:

“I think it’s a conversation I’d need to have with my family. But I think I’ve made it clear where I stand on the situation.”

His position also reflects the stance taken by senior figures at Bohemians. The club proposed a motion at the FAI General Assembly calling for Israel’s suspension from UEFA competition, while chief commercial officer Daniel Lambert publicly said in February that Ireland boycotting the fixtures would be “the right thing to do”.

There has been no indication that Hallgrímsson intends to add to his squad, and at this stage there may be no need to. McGrath and Vale could train normally this week, while Lawal was always expected to be managed through the window.

Monday should give Ireland a much clearer picture.

If the three concerns turn out to be minor, Hallgrímsson carries on with the group he selected. If they don’t, he doesn’t have to look particularly far for alternatives. He called League of Ireland midfielders into his squad only three months ago, gave two of them senior debuts and has already watched Devoy handle an international midfield.

The slightly more unusual question this time might be whether Devoy would answer the call.