Heimir Hallgrimsson has revealed his Christmas wish for benched pair Evan Ferguson and Caoimhin Kelleher.
He wants to see the pair playing regularly at club level - so that they are in top shape next year when Ireland compete in the Nations League play-offs in March and the World Cup qualifiers between September and November.
Ferguson has struggled for game-time at Brighton since his return from an ankle injury, and has made just two Premier League starts this season.
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Meanwhile, Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher’s run of 10 consecutive appearances has come to an end with Alisson’s return from a hamstring problem.
Asked about Ferguson’s future, Hallgrímsson gave a revealing seven-word response: “We would like our players to play.”
He added that it didn’t just apply to the 20-year-old striker.
“I will answer this question the same way whoever it is; as a national team coach, you would always like to see your players playing,” he said.
“Whether it’s Evan or someone else. It’s our preference. We would like our players to play.
“The same with Caoimhin, we don’t know if he’s going to play games for Liverpool even though he’s done brilliantly.
“Should he go and try to play somewhere else? It applies to everyone. For a national team coach, of course you would like your players to be playing all the time.”
Asked if it was more relevant for Ferguson, at the age of 20 and in such a crucial stage of his development, to be playing regularly, Hallgrímsson said: “It depends on so many things.
“Is he in a good mind? Is he being developed at the club?
“He’s playing now with good players playing really good football. Is it more beneficial to be in that environment than maybe going somewhere lower quality and playing some matches?
“It depends on who we are talking about, the club we are talking about, it’s an open question. There’s never one answer for everyone.”
Hallgrímsson, meanwhile, refused to be drawn on the subject of player recruitment ahead of the promotion/relegation games against Bulgaria in March.
But he did suggest that the subject of dual nationality was increasingly becoming a two-way street, with more and more young Irish-born players eligible to represent the countries of their parents or grandparents.
“We also need to think an Irish youth international player can switch and play for someone else,” he said. “It goes both ways.
“We might have a good player who maybe has a grandmother from somewhere else and is approached by that nation so we need to protect our players as well.
“It goes both ways so you need to be really open about this and try to protect this national team.”
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