Republic of Ireland Men's Football Team

Jana McCabe
BBC Sport NI journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Dundee United defender Will Ferry has been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for Saturday's friendly against Grenada (17:00 BST).

The 25-year-old has joined the side in Murcia and is aiming to make his senior debut after representing Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side face Grenada at the Estadio Nueva Condomina before welcoming Qatar to the Aviva Stadium on 28 May in another friendly.

Ferry has played a key role for Dundee United this season and scored twice and assisted the other goal during their recent 3-0 derby win against rivals Dundee.

He was also named Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for April and has made 33 appearances this season.

The wing-back will aim to make a similar impact at international level, with club manager Jim Goodwin expressing his interest in keeping Ferry amid reported interest from "a number of other clubs" in recent weeks.

As a result of the friendlies falling outside Fifa's international window, clubs are not obliged to release their players.

However, earlier in the week it was announced that Newcastle United midfielder Rory Finneran had received his first call-up to the senior side.

Cardiff City defender Joel Bagan and Ipswich Town winger Kasey McAteer have both been ruled out through injury, having being included in the initial squad.

Lauren McCann
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United midfielder Rory Finneran has received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for their friendly against Grenada.

The 18-year-old has joined Heimir Hallgrimsson's squad in Murcia, Spain for their training camp before they face Grenada on Saturday at the Estadio Nueva Condomina [17:00 BST].

Finneran joined Newcastle from Blackburn Rovers in 2024 and has played for the Republic of Ireland at under-17 and under-19 level.

He is called into the squad following the withdrawals of Cardiff City defender Joel Bagan and Ipswich Town winger Kasey McAteer, who have both been ruled out through injury.

Benfica attacker Jaden Umeh, who had received his first senior call-up, has been pulled out of the squad by his club.

As this friendly falls outside of Fifa's international window, clubs are not obliged to release their players.

Benfica under-19s face a must-win game against Famalicao on Saturday and want Umeh, who scored twice in a 6-2 win over UD Leiria on Sunday, available for that game as they aim to qualify for the Uefa Youth League.

"Benfica are still fighting in their U19s to be in the Uefa Youth League," said Hallgrimsson.

"The plan was for them to have secured that by now, but unfortunately, results this weekend didn't go their way, so Jaden still has one more game to play.

"We knew beforehand that this was a possibility, even if it was unlikely.

"It is unlucky for him that the results went that way, as we were looking forward to working with him, but we understand the club's position and will have to wait for a future window to bring him into the environment."

David Mohan
BBC Sport NI journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has called Portsmouth winger Millenic Alli into his squad for Tuesday's friendly against North Macedonia in Dublin [19:45 BST].

The 26-year-old earns his first call-up to the senior squad and took part in training at Abbotstown on Sunday.

Alli began his career in England playing non-league before signing for Exeter City in 2024, catching the eye of Luton Town who spent £1.5 million to bring him to Kenilworth Road.

The Dubliner scored four goals in the final six games of last season, but the Hatters would suffer relegation to League One.

Despite falling out of favour, Alli was picked up on loan by Portsmouth and he has started all 14 games since his arrival at Fratton Park.

He has scored once in the Championship club's bid to beat the drop and his performances have caught the attention of Hallgrimsson who brings him into the squad with others unavailable for Tuesday.

Midfielder Jack Taylor has left the squad for family reasons, while Sammie Szmodics has returned to Derby County to continue his recovery from a concussion sustained in Thursday's World Cup play-off semi-final defeat on penalties by the Czech Republic.

That defeat in Prague saw the Republic of Ireland's hopes of qualifying for this summer's World Cup come to an end, while North Macedonia were beaten in their semi-final by Denmark, leaving both nations to face each other in a friendly.