Stephen Kenny says James McClean’s decision to join Wrexham is ‘not ideal’ for his Republic of Ireland career
Wrexham's James McClean
Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny feels it’s “not ideal” in the long-term for centurion James McClean to be playing his club football in England’s fourth tier, in the context of his international career.
McClean left Wigan for Hollywood-backed Wrexham earlier this month, and after returning from a knee injury this week, was included in Kenny’s 25-man squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The Republic boss admits it’s not ideal for the 34-year-old to be plying his trade in League Two in regards to his international career, but insists it didn’t have much of a bearing on his decision to call up the Derry native for this window.
“I think in the long term it’s not ideal,” Kenny told the media at Lansdowne Road this afternoon, after confirming his squad for September’s double-header against France and the Netherlands.
“He did speak to me. His club situation - he was in a predicament and he needed to move and this was why he had accepted (Wrexham)
“Ultimately he was Man of the Match in the last game, albeit against Gibraltar. He performed well in the last window.
"Whether he was going to be playing three or four games in League One or three or four games in League Two, I didn’t think it was going to be a significant difference in the short-term of this window.
"Subsequently he has been injured and we have named three left wing-backs in the squad, so we will see.”
Udinese’s Festy Ebosele is in contention to make his first senior appearance against France next month, after the 21-year-old earned his first call up since June 2022 earlier today, while Aaron Connolly received a first recall in almost two years.
There was no place for Troy Parrott, with Kenny revealing the striker has only
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