Jack Moylan is back in the Republic of Ireland squad after his debut hat-trick, and that is the cleanest selection story in this update. Heimir Hallgrimsson has also had to work around a run of withdrawals and a June window split between Qatar and Canada.
Why Moylan is back in the group
The clearest reason Moylan’s name returns is the one attached to his first Ireland outing. He scored a hat-trick on debut in a 5-0 win over Grenada in Murcia, which gives Hallgrimsson another look at him after that sharp start.
Hallgrimsson, speaking through a BBC update, had already been forced into changes after a series of withdrawals. Five players are out through injury: Alan Browne, Alex Gilbert, Finn Azaz, Ryan Manning and Andrew Omobamidele.
Owen Elding is staying with the senior squad for training while the final stages of his citizenship process are completed. That keeps one eye on the future, but the present issue is a squad that has already been nudged into a different shape.
How Ireland are managing two different fixtures
There is a practical wrinkle around the June games too. Dara O'Shea and Jack Moylan are available for the Qatar match only, while Conor Coventry and Dawson Devoy will link up later in the week for the trip to Canada.
That leaves Hallgrimsson planning around two matchday groups rather than one clean squad. It is a sensible approach, and probably the only one available with the current withdrawals.
The friendlies themselves should still give Ireland useful work. Canada have lost their last three competitive matches in the 2022 World Cup, while Qatar also lost their last three World Cup matches. Those results do not tell you everything about the opposition, but they do explain why this window is more about testing the group than chasing glamour.
Moylan’s return is the headline, and deservedly so. The bigger picture is a manager trying to keep the June plan together with injuries, staged arrivals and fixture-specific call-ups, with Ireland facing Qatar in Dublin on Thursday before the trip to Canada.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
