SOCCER:Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens has called up FC Utrecht defender Barry Maguire for the first time after naming a strong squad ahead of the friendly against Germany at Turner's Cross on February 10th.
Maguire, 19, who was born in the Netherlands but qualifies for Ireland through his Dublin-born father, currently plays for FC Utrecht in the Dutch top flight and is regarded as one of the Eredivisie’s top young players.
“This will be a very good test for our players,” said Givens. “Countries like Germany can call on a big pool of players and are always very strong. They are preparing for this summer’s Uefa Under-21 European Championships, so their players will be looking to impress.
“However, we also have a very strong squad. A lot of the squad have played for us before and have shown their potential. I have not included any League of Ireland players in the squad simply because they are only returning to pre-season training, so that will give me the opportunity to have a look at some new players.”
Ireland drew 2-2 the last time the two sides met in August 2007 when Stephen Gleeson scored both goals on his debut.
Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad (v Germany)
Shane Redmond (Nottingham Forest), Stephen Henderson (Bristol City), Michael Spillane (Norwich City), Eddie Nolan (Preston North End), Shane Lowry (Aston Villa), Brendan Moloney (Nottingham Forest), Christy Fagan (Glenn Hoddle Academy), Barry Maguire (FC Utrecht), John Joe O’Toole (Watford), Stephen Gleeson (Wolverhampton Wanderers), James McCarthy (Hamilton Academicals), Owen Garvan (Ipswich Town), Michael Liddle (Carlisle United), Alan Judge (Blackburn Rovers), David Meyler (Sunderland), Graham Carey (Celtic), Cillian Sheridan (Celtic), Sean Scannell (Crystal Palace).
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