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The five call-ups Stephen Kenny might make in his latest squad announcement.

On Thursday afternoon, Stephen Kenny will name his Ireland squad for the upcoming international break.

With any hope of World Cup qualification all but over for Qatar, Kenny may be forgiven for blooding more young players into his side ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Then again, he probably won’t be, given the noise surrounding his position at the moment.

Either way, this international window not only gives the Boys in Green a chance to rack up two wins, it also grants Kenny the opportunity to continue implementing his style of play on a developing squad.

With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at some players who may be in with a shout of getting a call-up to Kenny’s squad on Thursday.

Gavin Kilkenny.

Perhaps unfortunate to have missed out on a senior call-up last time round, Kilkenny will be hoping that he can go one better this time.

Granted, his chances have been hindered somewhat by the returning Jason Knight, but he may still be worth a look at.

The Bournemouth midfielder has not played for the Cherries since August 25th, so it appears a first call-up may be highly unlikely, if it wasn’t unlikely enough already.

Then again, Kenny is not afraid to give young players their chance even if they are struggling for gametime. Kilkenny may be the man in the future, although this international window may come too soon for him.

Anthony Scully.

Arguably one of Ireland’s most in-form forwards at the moment, Anthony Scully will be hoping that his goalscoring exploits will be enough to turn the head of Stephen Kenny.

Scully, 23, is no longer eligible to play for the Boys in Green at U21 level, but he is a player who Kenny would know a fair bit about already.

The former West Ham youngster has six goals to his name in 10 league games for Lincoln City this season in League One, not to mention his exploits outside of league action. In one game, against Cambridge United, Scully scored twice and assisted three in a remarkable 5-1 win for the Imps.

It may only be Cambridge, and in League One, but Scully must surely be in with in some sort of a shout of a call-up, despite the level he is playing at, given his red-hot form.

Joel Bagan.

Perhaps unlikely, Cardiff City full-back Joel Bagan may also be worth some sort of a look at in this upcoming international window.

Bagan has only recently declared for the Boys in Green, receiving his first U21 call-up last month.

The English-born defender qualifies to play for Ireland through his grandparents who are from Kerry and Cork, making his Ireland U21 debut in last month’s 1-1 draw away to Luxembourg.

Ireland are relatively strong in the left-back department, so a call-up may be unlikely, especially with the returning Enda Stevens and Liam Scales set to be involved.

Liam Scales.

Mentioned just there, Liam Scales has been called up before, but has yet to make an appearance for Ireland at senior level.

The Co. Wicklow native has featured just once for Celtic since making his move to Glasgow from Shamrock Rovers. Although, the cultured left-sided defender impressed during his cameo.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has said Scales needs time to develop into a first-team player at Celtic Park, and he may do. As far as his international prospects go, it may be no harm if the ex-UCD defender was to be given a chance in this window at the very least.

Jimmy Dunne. 

With the rise of Andrew Omobamidele being spoken about in considerable detail, Jimmy Dunne is quietly going about his business with QPR in the Championship.

Dunne has played in QPR’s last three games, and scored in a penalty shootout win against Everton in the Carabao Cup last week.

Now 23, the former Burnley and Manchester United defender has made no secret of his intention to play for the Republic of Ireland’s senior side, and this window may grant him the opportunity to just that.

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