Evan Ferguson will make his first start in an Ireland shirt in tomorrow night's friendly international against Latvia at the Aviva Stadium.
The talented teenager made his international debut in November, coming off the bench late in the defeat to Norway, while he also gained more minutes three days later in the 1-0 win over Malta.
But now the Brighton striker is set to lead the line for his country from the kick-off as manager Stephen Kenny confirmed that Ferguson would start the Lansdowne Road encounter.
All eyes are on Monday night’s showpiece as the World Cup runners-up, France, come to town, for the opening game of Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, and the manager admitted that the visit of Didier Deschamps side was his main focus.
The game against Latvia will be used to hand idle players valuable minutes as he stressed the importance of naming a strong squad for the France game.
Ferguson, however, is getting more than enough game time in the Premier League and his involvement from the start offers an idea of the manager’s thinking for Monday night’s clash with France.
"At 18 years of age now, he's showing he is ready to come into the team," said Kenny, when asked about the in-form centre-forward, who scored twice in Brighton’s 5-0 FA Cup victory over Grimsby at the weekend. "He will make his first start tomorrow in the game.
"His career is in its infancy. He's had a great start to his Premier League career and is scoring some goals in the Premier League, the FA Cup and League Cup.
"We have known about Evan for a few years now, coming through the system in Ireland with Bohemians and coming through the underage international teams."
Matt Doherty joined the manager for today’s pre-match press conference, and while the Atletico Madrid man offered a good insight into his recent move to La Liga from Tottenham, he also had time to comment on the arrival of Ferguson onto the scene.
"I believe he is playing very well," said Doherty. "I haven’t seen all of the games, but from the highlights and the goals he is scoring, he is scoring some good goals with great composure for someone who is only 18.
"Hopefully it will be the same for this camp, and not only for this camp but for him, personally, for the rest of the season and for the rest of his career, as I am sure he is going to have a good one."
Doherty, of course, is one of a number of players who the manager referred to in relation to getting vital minutes under their belt ahead of Monday’s visit of France.
The right wing-back moved to Madrid during the January transfer window, however, he is yet to enjoy a good run in the team, and has spent most of his time watching from the sidelines.
However, Doherty claims that he feels sharp ahead of this week’s double header and believes that he will be ready to play a role in the Euro opener if he is called upon.
"I feel sharp," said Doherty. "I am training all the time, I think sometimes when you’re playing with top players all the time that keeps you sharp.
"For me it’s not an issue, especially with the game tomorrow to lead into it. My brain will be sharp enough to cope with anything."
The Dubliner did admit that his move to the Spanish capital has not gone completely to plan, however, he stressed that he is enjoying the experience after his first couple of months in Madrid.
"It is frustrating at times, but I have learned to deal with it," said Doherty. "Over time I’ve become more experienced and been able to deal with it a lot better.
"It's going well for me in Spain, it's a different experience completely, different culture, different preparation for games. I'm enjoying my time there even though I'm not playing that much.
"I am there until the end of the season and I am just using it as a learning experience, I am improving by training with world class players every day. I am using the six months I have there to try and get better, to try and understand the game better and improve my overall game."
One player who will not feature for Ireland against Latvia is Adam Idah, as the Norwich City striker is still making his way back to full fitness following injury.
Idah is the only doubt in the squad at the moment, and the manager is hopeful that he will still be in contention to play a role against France on Monday.
"Everyone is fit in the squad bar Adam Idah, who obviously joined up in the group but he won't be involved tomorrow night," said Kenny. "But we're hopeful that he'll be involved later in the week and the game against France."
Looking ahead to the game, the manager, as mentioned, stressed the importance of the game in preparation for Monday’s qualifier, however, he also felt that he expected a tough challenge against an attacking Latvia side.
"The most important thing is the game against France on Monday, that's the most important part of the week," said Kenny.
"We've a number of players who've not been playing regularly or who have been playing intermittently so I think tomorrow night's game is important for those players, and for us to evaluate where they all are.
"They can put themselves in contention for selection against France next Monday whether that will be as starters or players who can make an impact off the bench because we'll need a squad next Monday against France.
"It's our ambition to win the game. Latvia's ranking is low but they have had some very good results. Drawing 3-3 with Turkey, 0-0 with Norway, beating Lithuania 3-1, 1-0 with Holland, they have shown the capacity to put in some good performances."
And Kenny is not concerned that Latvia might come and park the bus at the Aviva Stadium, which could lead to a frustrating night, attempting to break down a side that sits in, looking for a result.
"To be fair to Latvia, they are not really a defensive team," said Kenny. "But we can never tell, teams do pay us a lot of respect at times. When they come to the Aviva they play with a lower block than in some of the previous matches we’ve seen.
"We’ve just got to focus on our own performance and work on improving ourselves.
"Obviously, some players are coming into the team and we are looking for them to make an impact to increase the selection dilemmas for Monday, which is what we want, and increase the squad options for players who can make a serious contribution."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Latvia in an international friendly on Wednesday from 7pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.
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