Sammie Szmodics

The last dozen odd performances would make you really miss Duff and McGeady on either wing with Keane and Doyle up front.

It's just such a mess at the moment and nobody is on the same wavelength. Lads like Johnston and Ogbene making nice runs, beating players and doing things well individually. Ferguson showing deep for the ball and having the odd glimmer of good link-up play. Szmodics comfortable on the turn with his back to the ball and can pick a pass. But there's just nothing to thread it together. And O'Shea is clearly not going to be the person to find out how to make everything more cohesive.

He has been playing good stuff in L1 and Championship in that time. 

That's the obvious solution to fit him but be don't have competent conventional fullbacks so would likely weaken us as a team generally. 

He had a fairly poor spell at Bristol City so wasn't exactly demanding a call up til he found form last year. Maybe Kenny could have called him up in the summer, but he didn't wait too long beyond when he merited being in the squad and unfortunately Sammie pulled out. He wasn't a glaring omission for most of Kenny's rein anyway just unfortunate circumstances that he had to. or at least decided to, withdraw from the squad both times he was picked. 

Fully agree

Yes I was thinking this too. We've 4 or 5 good centre backs but no good left back, so one could play there. 

I also think Ogbene is better in the attacking third of the field and not as good in the wing back role. 

City have very technical and mobile CBs playing at FB. And it's mainly a back three anyway. It depends on the phase of play. 

They also have Rodri and Stones/Kovacic receiving the ball from the defence compared to Cullen/Smallbone/Molumby.

Ake and Akanji can cover large spaces and are duel specialists.