Stephen Kenny understands that a lack of experience in the goalkeeping department could be seen as concerning going into the start of Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign.
Regular number one Darren Randolph, who has played every game since the new man took over, is injured, and while Kenny has called four goalkeepers up to the squad for the upcoming games against Serbia, Luxembourg and Qatar, there is a severe lack of international experience amongst the quartet.
Mark Travers and Kieran O’Hara have only earned a handful of senior caps between them, all in friendly games, while Caoimhin Kelleher and Gavin Bazunu have yet to win a senior cap.
Kelleher is widely considered to be the best alternative to Randolph, having played at Champions League level with Liverpool in recent months, however, there is a real doubt over the Cork native’s availability as he recovers from injury.
Recalling Keiren Westwood would perhaps have been the logical choice, as the Sheffield Wednesday stopper has been involved with the senior squad for over a decade - although he has not played for his country since 2017 - however, the manager revealed that he was not available despite playing the last two games for his club.
"Keiren isn’t available for selection at the moment," said Kenny, speaking at Thursday’s press conference.
"He had broken ribs and missed a month and I was surprised to see him back on the team-sheet on Saturday.
"I spoke to him to check his availability, but he is not even training at the moment with Sheffield Wednesday. He can’t train and is just sort of putting himself on the line to get through matches as he is still recovering from broken ribs.
"He is keen to play for Ireland but he is ruled out. In his words, he’s only 60 per cent fit at the moment."
Kenny confirmed that Kelleher would be assessed when the Ireland camp meet up in Manchester ahead of their flight to Serbia on Monday, but should he miss out, the manager stated that Travers was likely to take the number one jersey for the World Cup opener.
"There is a bit of uncertainty [regarding goalkeepers], I’d agree with that. Caoimhin has an abdominal tear but we have until next Wednesday to the game. We will meet up in Manchester on Sunday and we will assess him. We will see how his rehab goes between now and then.
"I can see why people would be concerned at the lack of experience, I understand that. In the seven competitive games that Darren has played, we've just conceded four goals. I think he's played 38 consecutive games, in terms of competitive games, so he's been a very consistent player for Ireland.
"Caoimhin has obviously played ten Under-21 internationals under me and he was brilliant, did very well. I think he's played five games for Liverpool this year too in the Champions League, so he's used to big games and it won’t be an issue for him.
"Mark Travers is definitely the next one in, and Mark has obviously played for Ireland already, made his debut and has played some important games for Bournemouth and had a recent spell at Swindon.
"Gavin has been brilliant, he's a brilliant young prospect, and Kieran, who has been in the squad before, so that's where we are at the moment, they're the best goalkeepers that we have."
On a more positive note, Kenny is confident that Aaron Connolly will be fit to face Serbia, despite the striker missing recent club games due to a fractured rib.
The Brighton frontman would most likely be in line to start for Ireland in Belgrade next week, however, club manager Graham Potter recently suggested that the injury would see Connolly out of action until after the international window.
However, Ireland manager Kenny gave a positive update on the Galway native after naming a 29-man squad for the upcoming games.
"I think Aaron Connolly will be okay. He has had a fractured rib, but he has resumed training and we will be hopeful we will have him next week."
In other injury news, the manager said that it was too early to predict whether James McClean will be available to travel as he is in the early days of rehab, while Kenny also stated that long-term absentee Richard Keogh is still being considered for the World Cup campaign.
Looking back on the first three months of his tenure since that first competitive match in September, Kenny admitted that he had learned a lot during the period, however, he appeared more focused on looking forward rather than speak of Damien Duff’s departure or the perception that people behind the scenes were trying to cause problems.
"Listen, we're just really focusing on the game," said Kenny when asked about the fallout over the Wembley motivational video. "We're playing Serbia. We've got three good games this week against Serbia, Luxembourg and Qatar.
"We're getting ready to train and all our energy is really focused on that at this stage. That's what I would say.
"Damien Duff is a legendary player and a terrific coach. He resigned for private reasons, Anthony [Barry] has replaced him and we are still forging a relationship and he has been very bright over the last few weeks.
"But it’s about players, really. We have a bigger squad than we usually would, 29 players. Football is about players and we must not lose sight of that."
Looking ahead to the game, Kenny insisted that places were very much up for grabs and that there were no automatic starters in his side.
And the manager was quick to defend stalwart defender Shane Duffy who has received a lot of criticism at club level since moving on loan from Brighton to Celtic.
Kenny said that the Derry native had never let Ireland down and puts everything on the line for his country.
"I can honestly say there is nobody in the squad who would be an automatic starter, and I have no problem leaving anyone out," said Kenny, when asked about the centre-half's form since the last Ireland game in November.
"What I will say about Shane Duffy, we know he has had a tough year at Celtic, he knows he has had a tough year, he has been a great player, and he has never let Ireland down.
"Shane has played when he’s been injured, he has played three games in six days and travelled twice within that, he puts everything on the line for Ireland continually, and we shouldn’t forget that just because he has had a tough time."
And while Kenny's side has been solid in defence in his competitive games thus far, the main issue is at the other end of the park, where goals have been a rare commodity.
Ireland have only scored once in eight games since Kenny took over, and while Connolly’s fitness assessment may give the team a boost, Kenny stressed that fellow forward Troy Parrott would not be tasked with leading the line in Serbia next week.
"I think it’s fair to say Troy is unlikely to start against Serbia. He has found goals hard to come by since he started playing in the Championship and League One.
"But one thing he has is that his work-rate has been really exceptional. He gives everything for the team, all the time.
"He is finding his way, he has shown a good attitude and I would say he is unlikely to start in Serbia, but he is there for the three games and is a valuable member of the squad."
The manager spoke about the right blend of youth and experience in his squad, and it may explain the return of Shane Long to the squad, having shown good form in attack since his move from Southampton to Bournemouth.
"Shane obviously has a lot of very good attributes I think the problem at Southampton was he was hardly playing and when he was coming on, it was in the 80th-odd minute and he wasn't even getting a good amount of minutes.
"It was hard to get matches in, and to his credit, he went out on loan and I think that was a good move from his point of view.
"I watched him against Nottingham Forest and he played very well as a lone striker, played last week in a front two with Dominic Solanke, he had previously been playing in a 4-3-3.
"He has shown some good form and I think he is actually playing better now since he has gone to Bournemouth, probably getting a few consecutive games under your belt helps.
"It’s not perfect because he is not playing every game, but that’s where it is."
