Heimir Hallgrimsson's squad selection issues for England and Greece encounters

Heimir Hallgrimsson's first squad announcement is still three days away and yet it is fair to say that the new Ireland manager will already have a sense of what life will be like picking players for upcoming encounters.

The new season is barely underway across the Irish Sea but the familiar tales of injuries, inactive players and late transfer action will all play a part when it comes to picking the ensemble for upcoming performances against England and Greece.

A perennial headache for successive managers when attempting to build a strong squad and a starting XI around a core of key players.

The new man in charge appears to have passed the buck on his first formation with John O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy key to selecting the selection for these upcoming games.

Various ways to read that particular exchange, however, benefit of the doubt may be afforded on this occasion as the Icelandic coach attempts to maintain some semblance of continuity in his first camp.

What the opening weeks of the club campaign have shown is that very little has changed when it comes to the expected arrivals into the Castleknock camp for the Dublin double-header.

On the injury front, it looks as though Hallgrimsson must plan without a trio of key players as Evan Ferguson looks set to miss out, while there is a major concern over and Seamus Coleman and Josh Cullen.

New Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said that the club had to be "careful" in relation to Ferguson’s return to the first team squad as he continued to regain to full fitness following an end-of-season injury.

Ferguson also comes into the mix regarding transfer speculation, however, the new manager appears impressed with what he has seen so far from the striker in and around the first team squad.

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