"He really impressed us with his attitude and his character and how he presented himself as a player," said Heimir Hallgrimsson after O. Elding earned his first official Republic of Ireland senior call-up for the start of the Nations League campaign. The Hibernian striker had spent the summer waiting on paperwork, even though the manager had already seen enough to bring him into camp.

The passport delay that held him back

A fuel protest in the Republic of Ireland in April caused the cancellation of the mandatory ceremony needed for Elding to receive his Irish passport. That pushed his international progress back before a ball had even been kicked for him at senior level.

He was included in Hallgrimsson's squad for friendlies against Qatar and Canada in May and June, but only as a training player because he was still waiting for citizenship. Elding said that time around the group mattered: "Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive," he told BBC Sport.

The route into the squad has taken longer than his performances would suggest. Elding scored 16 goals and provided five assists in the Irish Premier Division in 2025, won the PFAI Young Player of the Year award, and has since scored six goals in 22 games for Hibernian, including three in nine outings in the current campaign.

Hallgrimsson's view of his quality

Hallgrimsson has not dressed this up as a sympathy call. He pointed to what Elding showed in camp and the way he carried himself around the group.

"He has been struggling with injury, he's been coming back, but you can see the quality this kid has," the Republic of Ireland manager said. Elding echoed that feeling when he said, "Obviously I couldn't play the game but it was just a chance for me to go in and show the staff and everyone what I could do."

The timing also puts a direct club test in front of him. Hibernian's next scheduled league match is at home to Aberdeen on 19 September, after a mixed run of two wins and three defeats in their last five Premiership games.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →