Republic of Ireland Under-21 boss Stephen Kenny has talked up a quintet of rising attackers he believes can fire the Boys in Green in the present and the future.
Kenny has named Aaron Connolly, Adam Idah, Michael Obafemi, Jonathan Afolabi and Troy Parrott in his Under-21 panel for the upcoming UEFA European Championships qualifiers against Armenia and Sweden.
With the senior side struggling for goals, this wave of creative talent is most welcome, though it remains to be seen whether these bright talents can turn their obvious promise into lasting careers at the top.
Obafemi and Parrott were included in Mick McCarthy's extended senior squad for the crucial Euro 2020 qualifier against Switzerland and subsequent friendly with Bulgaria though Kenny expects them to stick with him.
After a good summer, the former Dundalk manager is expecting his charges to kick on.
"In the attacking department, we've the emergence of five young strikers together, all under 19," he told RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue.
"Aaron Connolly scored last night for Brighton (in the Carabao Cup), Michael Obafemi scored for Southampton, Adam Idah played 90 minutes for Norwich, Jonathan Afolabi got his recent move to Celtic and then there's Troy Parrott at Tottenham.
"We can pick players in the 1998/99 age group but we haven't picked any. We've picked players from the younger group - 2000, 2001, 20002 - because we feel they are the ones with the most potential.
"(Obafemi and Parrott) are on standby for the senior squad. Troy and Michael are young players, they haven't even played at Under-21 level yet, so they're in the Under-21s squad unless I'm informed otherwise."
Kenny's Under-21 reign began with a vibrant defeat of Luxembourg back in March and they followed that up with an impressive showing at the Toulon Tournament, where they were defeated by a top-class Brazil outfit in the semi-finals.
Now, they're targeting a fruitful autumn.
"We've six qualifiers coming up, starting with Armenia in Tallaght next Friday (6 September)," Kenny added.
"It's a great opportunity for the Irish football public to really come and see these young players, to see what they're like, the talent they've got, and see them express themselves before we travel to Sweden for the game on the Tuesday.
"They're very proud to play for their country. That's one thing that's struck me.
"I've seen a lot of young Irish players who only want to get better, who want to improve and learn and they are desperate to play for Ireland. They're devastated if they're left out of squads. We had a good crowd for the first game against Luxembourg and a very good tournament in Toulon.
"These games are a big step for them in their personal development as international players. Hopefully they do well."
Kenny, of course, is also the senior gaffer in waiting and would expect to be managing a few of this Under-21 bunch in that set-up in the next two years.
For now, he's focused on aiding their development and trying to achieve qualification.
"It is about producing players for the first team ultimately," he said.
"We want to have a successful senior international team so I do accept that. The other side of it is, as a nation we've never qualified for the Under-21 European Championships. We're fourth seeds, we've had a good start in the group and we want to maintain that.
"It's about the Irish national team, whatever is best for the Irish national team overall. I'd be delighted to see the players emerge.
"Obviously they're not all going to emerge together. It'll depend on their club form, and how they develop at their clubs."
