SQUAD Greece (A) - Gibralter (H) June 2023

Who says he's keeping his options open ??

It was quite clearly said if he had of been in Bristol last week he'd have had a chance of making the squad and that they wanted to have a look at him.

Hes on standby anyway and will go with the 21s if not the seniors 

Some lads absolutely love reading so deep into a selection choice 

As far as I am aware, he has one, maybe two U21 caps and has started less than 20 senior club games, perhaps a little patience wouldn't go amiss!

t_rAndy wrote: He may well be fully committed. Just saying he may well also be keeping his options open. You can be sure that is what his agent will be whispering in his ear

Sure playing in these 2 games alone wouldn't even cap tie him anyway

I wouldn't say that's definitely true. It's not as difficult to get an England cap as people think (actually getting into their starting 11 is a different story, but getting a cap or two, particularly if you're a dual national, is much more possible). If he got in the Everton team next season and scored a few goals he'd get a cap quickly enough I think. Whereas if he gets even one competitive cap for Ireland it closes the door for three years, by which time he'll likely have been capped again after 21 (this coming winter) and be fully tied.

But there's another issue with English born players playing for Ireland that hasn't really been discussed on here yet. The authorities in England are currently looking to get a relaxation on post Brexit work permit rules in return for requiring clubs to play a certain percentage of English players - almost a bit like the three foreigners rule back in the 80s and 90s. 

This, while allowing them to bring in more high quality overseas imports at a younger age, is also potentially going to limit the numbers of non-English players in every club squad. It's a lose/lose for us. It will also lead to agents of even English born players who are nowhere near England international standard being told not to switch to Ireland, Wales, Jamaica or wherever else. Not because they're ever likely to play for England, but because it could affect their value by turning them into a non-English player at club level. 

So, for instance, someone like Josh Cullen who was nowhere near an English squad when he was capped for Ireland could be advised against committing to us as it could have a negative impact on his club prospects. Just something worth keeping an eye on.

Oh sh1te cheers. Only had a quick scan when i wrote that. Bit of a hectic day. 

Fair enough he hasn’t trained due to illness but the games are weeks away he has plenty of time to get ready.

We know he is a better finisher than some of our other options.

We all know Kenny is slow to bring new faces in so the best he was going to get was a substitute appearance.

I know I would much rather see him coming off the bench in Greece to get a goal rather than his team mate Parrot.

I just can’t see why Kenny does this to himself you have to have space in your squads for form players.

Either Cannon has hinted politely that he’s not 100% ready to commit to the senior team yet. 

Or due to missing out on illness Kenny has decided the camp was needed to integrate him into the first team. 

If it’s the former fair enough keep him in the 21s if he wants to play there. 

If it’s the latter the lad has scored 8 in 20 for Preston of all clubs in his first year playing men’s football no easy feat for any striker then Kenny shouldn’t need a random end of season training camp in Bristol to justify his inclusion. Just nonsense tbh. 

I have no doubt the lad had tonsillitis not questioning his honesty. Either way he will be an asset to the 21s if he doesn’t get called

up to the seniors.