Interim Ireland boss John O'Shea says the reason Tom Cannon was not selected for the fixtures against Belgium and Switzerland this month was because the forward wants to focus on his club duties.
After scoring on his Republic U21 debut following appearances for the country's under-19s and under-20s, Cannon was named in Kenny's senior squad for a training camp but did not take part in that because of illness.
Former Ireland manager Kenny said the player's agent had confirmed an approach by England U21s management.
"His agent is Kenny Moyes, and he just said, "Let's get this camp out of the way, and we'll come and meet you and have a chat," said Kenny at the time.
"He said, "Obviously, England U21s have made an approach," and he just needed a bit of time to reflect and see what the situation was and wanted to speak to me after the camp, sit down and have a conversation."
Speculation around his future as to who he wants to play for has not gone away.
Since then, Kenny has gone, and O'Shea has stepped in on a temporary basis. O'Shea announced his Ireland squad for the March double-header and did not include Cannon.
Tom Cannon’s goal that brought Ireland U21s back on level terms with Iceland 🇮🇪#IRLU21 | #COYBIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/p2jXmLhYtN
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 26, 2023
The Waterford native was asked about Cannon and simply said that the Leicester player is focusing on club duties. He also said he had no issue with him declaring his birth country.
"Tom's concentrating on his club stuff; it's as simple as that. That was it. I've got no worries like that [Cannon declaring for England] at all," said O'Shea on Thursday.
One player who will be playing for Ireland is Sammie Szmodics. The Blackburn goal machine has scored 27 goals this season and has finally declared for Ireland. O'Shea admits he is delighted that he is now part of the Ireland setup.
"It was very straightforward. One of the first games I went to was Blackburn vs. Millwall. Michael Obafemi was obviously playing as well.
"Any of the conversations I've had with Sammie, they were all straightforward. He's buzzing, and he's delighted to be coming in.
"It's great to have a player in such good form consistently all season, too. He's got that versatility in terms of where he's playing at the moment as well. He's floating from a striker into a 10 position too.
"As I said, it's great to have an option like that to bring into the squad."
Republic of Ireland Squad: Belgium & SwitzerlandGoalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu (Southampton), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), and Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth)Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Dara O'Shea (Burnley), Liam Scales (Celtic), Jake O'Brien (Lyon), Robbie Brady (Preston North End), and Festy Ebosele (Udinese).Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jason Knight (Bristol City), and Will Smallbone (Southampton). Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen), Callum O’Dowda (Cardiff City), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), and Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion). Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Idah (Celtic), Michael Obafemi (Millwall, on loan from Burnley), Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn Rovers), Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton Town), Troy Parrott (Excelsior, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur). Fixtures: International Friends23/03: Ireland vs. Belgium, Aviva Stadium, 5pm26/03: Ireland vs. Switzerland, Aviva Stadium, 7.45
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