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Irish player of the year David McGoldrick will be back in the squad for tomorrow’s game against Finland, however the Sheffield United forward is unlikely to start the UEFA Nations League match.
McGoldrick missed the trip to Bulgaria on Thursday due to a foot injury and joined the team on Friday, and the Blades leader trained with the team at the FAI headquarters in Abbotstown on Saturday.
The manager praised his new arrival, which will add real experience to the team with next month’s play-off clash with Slovakia in mind.
“It is fantastic that he is back in the team as he has had a good season with Sheffield United and leads the line brilliantly,” Kenny said at the pre-match press conference.
“The foot injury was problematic for him at the end of last season and has hampered his entire preseason, so he’s only really had one week of preseason training.
“So he enters the team, but most likely he is not a starter, as it is too early for him.”
The coach has a full squad to choose from ahead of the game at Aviva Stadium, as the team returned to Dublin on Friday after Thursday night’s 1-1 draw with Bulgaria in Sofia with no injury concerns.
However, the coach is expected to make some changes to the starting eleven, as he said that some of the players who played in Sofia had not played in six months.
The coach has spoken of the importance of continuity in his team, but has also said that his team may need an injection of energy for the clash with Finland.
“Ideally you would be thinking [of continuity] But some of the players are in preseason and some played their first game in six months, so there is a balance in trying to get it right.
“You want the back four to be consistent and solid in the back four, but you also need that injection of energy into the team,” said the coach.
Follow the Republic of Ireland v Finland (KO 5pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie / sport and the RTÉ News app, or listen to the commentary on RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport
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