Joe Hodge 'buzzing' for senior Ireland shot but U21 duties call first

Joe Hodge is hoping progress made at club level can be echoed on the international scene as he prepares for action with the Republic of Ireland U21s and then a planned promotion to John O’Shea’s senior squad.

That call-up to the men’s side is a first for the small but talented midfielder who endured a torturous first half of the season that was beset by injuries but has since picked up with a January loan move from Wolves to Queens Park Rangers.

QPR boss Martí Cifuentes feels Hodge has the technical skills to blossom in the tight spaces closer to goal and so has been using the 21-year-old in a more attacking midfield role than he is accustomed to.

He has played half-a-dozen times for the London club since the start of February, scoring on his debut against Blackburn, although the majority of his appearances have come off the bench for a team struggling at the wrong end of the Championship.

“I am enjoying it,” he said on Thursday. “It is different for me and I am trying to figure out how to be more creative and more influential higher up the pitch. The gaffer is working with me on that, going through clips.

“I do still think that playing deep is my best position. One of my strengths is out of possession so that definitely suits me more but I will do whatever the gaffer asks me to do, do the best I can.” 

Hodge has been highly-rated for years now, going back to his time in the underage ranks at Manchester City, and he has been a key figure for Jim Crawford’s U21 side which he is still serving as captain.

The senior call came last week and he will link up with John O’Shea and company on the back of Friday’s U21 Euro 2025 qualifier away to San Marino on Friday. A huge week, then, for the Manchester-born player.

“I can’t wait