Heimir Hallgrimsson has defended his decision to bring uncapped Kevin O'Toole into his squad ahead of two vital World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Hungary.
The US-based player operates on the left side of the defence with a forward-thinking mentality, and comes in as cover in a squad that is struggling in that area due to injuries and suspensions.
Robbie Brady and Callum O’Dowda are not in contention, Josh Honohan has been struggling with injury issues, while Ryan Manning is ruled out of the Portugal game due to a ban.
As a result, 26-year-old New York City man O'Toole has been drafted into the 25-man squad that was named for the upcoming games.
Ireland are still in contention to battle for the second-place spot in the group as the first phase of the qualification process comes to a conclusion in Budapest on Sunday week, and Hallgrimsson’s side are still hoping to leapfrog Hungary to secure that vital play-off place.
First up is group winners Portugal at Aviva Stadium, and Ireland will know a lot more about their potential path to the March round of games ahead of kick-off as Hungary’s game in Armenia takes place earlier in the day.
Ireland currently sit one point off second place in the table and, should Hungary beat Armenia, Hallgrimsson’s side will need to take at least a point in their clash with leaders Portugal.
Hallgrimsson offered a squad update ahead of Tuesday’s press conference, and spoke about the challenges that faced his side as a result of the lengthy injury list and players struggling at their clubs in recent weeks.
The manager also pre-empted the questions regarding O’Toole’s inclusion and offered his opinion on what the player can bring to the table.
"A new one is Kevin O'Toole, not been called up before," said Hallgrimsson. "He's playing in a position that we don't have a lot of depth in. We are missing obviously, Robbie Brady, and Ryan Manning is suspended. Callum O'Dowda is injured, Josh Honohan has been struggling with fitness in his groin.
"So Rovers are playing safely with him, not playing him all the time. I guess he will play the [FAI] Cup final, but struggling with injuries otherwise he would be in our squad.
"Kevin comes in as one that just got his clearance to play for us. He's been working on that for over a year, waiting for the clearance. We've been watching him so it's a good time to call him in, especially because of our situation."
The squad will arrive into camp over the weekend following their club commitments, but such is the nature of the European leagues, several will play Sunday, which means that they will not be available to train until Tuesday.
As a result, the manager believes that he will only have one real training session ahead of the Portugal game on Thursday and hopes that his side can hit the ground running and recreate a similar performance that occurred in Lisbon last month.
And on that note, Hallgrimsson was pushed on the logic of trying to integrate a new player into the squad set-up with such little time and taking into account the vital stage of the qualifying campaign.
"It's just the situation we have," he said. "We are lacking depth in this position. I have watched Kevin O'Toole play. I know he is a good player. He has been playing and starting all games for New York City FC for about three seasons now.
"He’s experienced, he is 26. It's not like he is a young player we are testing. He has quality. It's just the situation.
"Obviously, if Robbie was here, we would have picked Robbie, Callum, Ryan ahead at the moment. But this gives us an option to look at him and assess him. He would definitely give us depth in that position."
One of the manager’s main concerns is the fitness of striker Evan Ferguson, who has picked up a knock at Roma in recent weeks and while the manager is confident that he will be available to play, he acknowledges that the Meath youngster will need to be assessed ahead of the double-header.
"He's back on the grass, he's recovering from a knock," said Hallgrimsson. "We would have called him in anyways to assess him. Maybe have the option of playing him only for the second game. He has been key to our goals and scoring for us.
"We'll call him in and assess him. We are positive that he will be ready."
The manager has rued the players’ recent club form so it was somewhat surprising that Celtic’s Johnny Kenny was overlooked on this occasion, considering the former Sligo and Shamrock Rovers man has scored three goals in his last two games, including one against Rangers last weekend.
Hallgrimsson admitted that Kenny can bring a poacher’s instinct into the squad but just felt that he was behind the three selected with Ferguson, Troy Parrott and Adam Idah ahead of him in the manager’s mind.
But at the same time, Hallgrimsson has put the young forward on standby and should Ferguson struggle to prove his fitness, there is every chance that Kenny will be called in.
"We were thinking about calling him in anyway," said Hallgrimsson, when asked about Kenny. "He would be the next in line up front.
"He has been scoring, looks lively and has the confidence from his coach. He's a little bit different than the others we have.
"Going in behind, poacher in the box. I think he scored three goals in his last two games or something. On a high at the moment."
As for the permutations, Hallgrimsson is preparing for four possible scenarios ahead of kick-off next Thursday in front of what is expected to be a full house at Lansdowne Road.
"We have the privilege of knowing the result from Armenia playing Hungary," said Hallgrimsson. "Before we kick off, that game will be finished. That's on the day we know what we need against Portugal.
"We have a few scenarios from that game. If Armenia wins or there is a draw, a win in Hungary is enough for us. That's two of maybe four scenarios we have.
"If Hungary wins with one goal, or if Hungary wins, we always need at least a draw [against Portugal]. But if Hungary wins with more than two or three goals, we need to draw and then win with three goals away in Hungary.
"We will know what we need in this game against Portugal before we kick off. That's a benefit to us, but it doesn't change the way we start and play the game. We will need to take calculated risks as the game progresses."
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