Seamus Coleman has been included in a 26-man party for the games against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, November 11 and the trip to Luxembourg which follows three days later - both shown live on Sky Sports
Thursday 4 November 2021 16:48, UK
Skipper Seamus Coleman is back in the Republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Luxembourg after recovering from injury.
Everton defender Coleman, 33, missed October's 3-0 qualifier victory in Azerbaijan - Ireland boss Stephen Kenny's first competitive win - and the 4-0 friendly drubbing of World Cup hosts Qatar in Dublin which followed it due to a hamstring problem.
The influential full-back has been included in a 26-man party for the games against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, November 11 and the trip to Luxembourg on Sunday, November 14.
He is joined by midfielders Jayson Molumby and Alan Browne, who were suspended for last month's game in Baku, while Wigan striker Will Keane, who earned his first senior call-up for that camp, retains his place in the squad.
However, there is no place for Brighton striker Aaron Connolly, whose efforts to establish himself on the senior international stage have been hit by a heel problem.
Kenny said: "I spoke to Aaron yesterday myself and we both decided. 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, so he feels sore."
Kenny is confident people are "excited" about his Republic of Ireland team as he rebuilds for a tilt at qualification for Euro 2024.
Ireland will bring an end to their World Cup qualifying campaign next week when they face Portugal in Dublin before travelling to Luxembourg, but will do so already knowing they will not be in Qatar for next year's finals.
Kenny's men currently lie in fourth place in Group A behind Luxembourg, who pulled off a shock 1-0 victory at the Aviva Stadium in March, and only secured their first competitive victory under their new manager at the 13th attempt last month when they won 3-0 in Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless, they will run out to face the Portuguese in front of a full house in Dublin next Thursday evening and Kenny insists he can sense mounting support.
Asked if he saw the sell-out as a vindication of his reign, he said: "No, I don't really see it as a vindication of myself, but I do think there's huge interest around the country. Even when we were losing games, I was feeling that around the country.
"Fifteen players have come in and 14 [have made] competitive international debuts. It's 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's unprecedented in most countries.
"People are excited by that. They know we're not perfect, we're still emerging.
"We've gone from a period of not scoring goals to scoring 14 goals in our last seven games and now we're creating a lot of chances in the games and the goals are spread throughout the team, so it's an exciting period of development and players getting better and the team evolving."
Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth, on loan from Manchester City), Mark Travers (Bournemouth).
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Tottenham), Ryan Manning (Swansea), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), James McClean (Wigan), Shane Duffy (Brighton), John Egan (Sheffield United), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich), Nathan Collins (Burnley).
Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Sheffield United, on loan from Aston Villa), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle), Jason Knight (Derby), Jayson Molumby (West Brom, on loan from Brighton), Alan Browne (Preston), Jamie McGrath (St Mirren).
Forwards: Callum Robinson (West Brom), Troy Parrott (MK Dons, on loan from Tottenham), Adam Idah (Norwich), James Collins (Cardiff), Will Keane (Wigan), Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe).
