Heimir Hallgrimsson names the final Republic of Ireland squad of this calendar year on Thursday and according to Alan Cawley and Richie Towell, the question isn't whether Johnny Kenny is included but more a case of should he propelled towards the starting side.
The Celtic striker has enjoyed a good week since Martin O'Neill took over as interim manager at Parkhead, scoring a brace against Falkirk in the league last Wednesday before heading in the opener in the Glasgow derby against Rangers as the Bhoys advanced to the Premier Sports Cup final.
Ireland's options up front are somewhat depleted going into the two final World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Hungary later this month with Evan Ferguson having picked up an ankle injury whilst in action for AS Roma and Sammie Szmodics is ruled out after undergoing surgery.
Former Sligo Rovers and Shamrock Rovers forward Kenny was included in the squad for September but thus far remains uncapped at senior level.
However, with 22-year-old gaining confidence and prominence at club level, his fellow Sligo man Cawley told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast that he believes Kenny can stake a claim for minutes in the two remaining qualifiers.
"He looks fit, sharp, strong and confident," Cawley said of the Riverstown native's recent form.
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
"Not just that he scored, but the opening 25 minutes (against Rangers), he looked unbelievable, Johnny.
"This might be a mad thing to say - he's going to be named in the squad - he could lead the line now against Portugal and Hungary and I'd have no qualms about that.
"Because looking at him (on Sunday), one thing I know about Johnny is that he has a brilliant attitude and I'm delighted for him, I know his family well.
"They're a lovely family as well. It's absolutely brilliant but I'd have no qualms (about starting him) because one thing about Johnny when you see him in the games and even with Shamrock Rovers, he misses chances but he never stops getting in.
"Johnny Kenny misses a chance, two minutes later, he's getting into the same position and he might miss it again in five minutes, he'll score that one.
"And sometimes people might say 'it takes him five or six chances to get a goal' but he's always getting in there. Mentally he's very, very strong the kid."
Towell, who played alongside Kenny at Shamrock Rovers and also agreed with Cawley's view that he could be a live option to lead the line against Portugal and Hungary, emphasised the striker's mental fortitude which was partially honed behind the scenes at Tallaght Stadium.
"The mental strength, that's something that he really had to work on," he said.
"Because I remember when he first came to Shamrock Rovers, like that, he'd miss a chance, he'd miss a chance and sometimes his head would go down.
"But to be fair to the manager, we obviously had our sports psychologist at Shamrock Rovers and he used to just drill it into him, 'It's no problem if you miss, just make sure you get into that position again', because the last thing you want to be seen is shying away from the ball or not getting into that situation because you have a fear of missing."
Cawley added that Kenny's physical attributes and willingness to press tenaciously also strengthens his case for involvement in the upcoming qualifiers.
"He has better attributes than Evan in certain areas," he said.
"Evan is probably better coming in and linking the game than Johnny. But anything over the top, Johnny's hounding defenders, harassing them, his work-rate, his effort. He'd have major positives over Evan in that regard."
Watch the Sports Direct FAI Cup final, Shamrock Rovers v Cork City, on Sunday from 2pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
