Young Walsall defender David Okagbue has been named in the Ireland Under-21 squad for their upcoming double-header of friendlies against Sweden Under-21s.Managed by Jim Crawford, the Under-21s will soon head to Marvella where they'll take on Sweden on Thursday, 14th and Sunday, 17th November as they continue to prepare for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifiers.
Speaking via FAI.ie, Crawford said: Speaking ahead of the games, Jim Crawford said: "This is a great opportunity to look at all our options ahead of qualification games next year.
"Much of the squad would have come through our international pathway, but for most this is their first involvement in an Under-21s squad.
"This will be a great experience for them, and having the likes of James Abankwah, Mark O’Mahony and Rocco Vata involved, who were all a key part in the last campaign, is huge as we expect them to have a big role going forward.
"The same goes for Sam Curtis, we’ve seen his quality, but he’ll remain with his club for this window as he has an opportunity for important minutes with his club that will further his development going forward.
"The opportunity came to test ourselves against Sweden and we jumped at the chance.
"I always say the players will get more out of it when they are challenged, and this will be a challenge – Sweden have the quality. Having missed out against Israel in 2022 we had to wait six long months to get a group together.
"I always say the players will get more out of it when they are challenged, and this will be a challenge – Sweden have the quality. Having missed out against Israel in 2022 we had to wait six long months to get a group together.
"This time we have an opportunity to bring a squad together, almost immediately, and this camp will be an excellent opportunity look at players against tough opposition."