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Mick McCarthy has told teenager Aaron Connolly he would not have called him into the Republic of Ireland squad if he was not confident he could play a part in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.<\/p>\nMick McCarthy has told teenager Aaron Connolly he would not have called him into the Republic of Ireland squad if he was not confident he could play a part in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old Brighton striker was added to the mix over the weekend after scoring twice in his first Premier League start for the club in a 3-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Connolly had already impressed McCarthy on under-21s duty for his country, although he resisted the temptation to draft him into the full squad last month, but he had no qualms over bringing him in for Saturday\u2019s Group D trip to Georgia and the clash with Switzerland which follows it three days later.<\/p>\n
Asked if it would take a big leap of faith to use him in either Tbilisi or Geneva, McCarthy said: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have put him in the squad if I thought that, so no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connolly\u2019s elevation came after McCarthy\u2019s assistant Robbie Keane, who scored 68 international goals for the Republic, watched him help to take Spurs apart.<\/p>\n
The manager said: \u201cRobbie sent me a message to say he\u2019d scored two goals and played really well.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s very quick, very direct, he\u2019s happy to take people on, his movement is very good and his hold-up play is very good. He plays with personality and he\u2019s got a bit of aggression in him, which I really like.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was delighted when I saw him (for the under-21s) against Armenia, but that\u2019s a completely different thing to him coming into the Premier League.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know, I\u2019m just delighted that he has done really well. It\u2019s a good option that if I want to play him, I can. He plays with personality and the fact that he comes in here on a high with some momentum after scoring two at the weekend, that\u2019s nice as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amid a clamor for the likes of Connolly and Tottenham striker Troy Parrott to be included in the senior squad last month, McCarthy voiced the opinion that key qualifiers were maybe not the best opportunity to do that.<\/p>\n
However asked what had changed, he replied: \u201cI\u2019ve said all along, if you are playing in the Premier League and scoring goals, then you have a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ireland head off for their double-header still sitting at the top of the group two points clear of Denmark and three better off than the Swiss, who have a game in hand.<\/p>\n
While McCarthy knows this month\u2019s fixtures \u2013 and the Danes\u2019 visit to Dublin in November \u2013 represent a tough conclusion to the campaign, he is asking for more of the same from his players.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThey have to understand how well that they have done already. They don\u2019t have to do anything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the toughest end of the competition, I\u2019m fully aware of that, but they have been great so far, so same again for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, McCarthy will give injured duo Shane Duffy and David McGoldrick until the last minute to declare themselves fit despite leaving them out of the 24-man party.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI\u2019ve just told Shane via a text message, \u2018The plane is leaving at 2pm from Dublin Airport to Tbilisi, so we\u2019ll keep a seat with extra leg room as we always do, so don\u2019t be late\u2019.”<\/p>\n