Heimir Hallgrimsson praises Ireland ace Festy Ebosele with 'he blows your mind' comment

Festy Ebosele is poised for a leading role against Finland next week after Heimir Hallgrimsson declared: 'He can blow your mind'.

Such is his versatility, the FAI didn’t quite know where to list Ebosele in Hallgrimsson’s 23-man squad for the Finland and England games named yesterday. The Wexford man was shoehorned into the ‘forwards’ section, even though he can play in a variety of positions from fullback to wingback to winger.

Ebosele, who is on loan at Watford from Italian side Udinese, endeared himself to both Hallgrimsson and the Irish fans with his brilliant assist off the bench in Helsinki last month. With Ireland pushing for a winner after coming from behind, his swagger was just what was needed, providing a spark before the inch perfect ball to set up Robbie Brady’s clincher.

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Brady won’t be involved in either of these upcoming Nations League games as an ankle injury has sidelined him for the next two months. Chiedozie Ogbene won’t be an attacking option on the right side either, as he is out for between eight and 10 months following surgery on a serious Achilles injury.

Skipper Seamus Coleman was named in Hallgrimsson’s squad yesterday - having missed the October games - but within an hour was deemed a serious doubt by Everton. A fresh hamstring issue means he could be pulled from the squad, which may leave a door open for Matt Doherty to return after being overlooked again, but even that's unlikely.

All of which means Ebosele’s versatility should stand to him next week, having made the most of the chance afforded to him off the bench in Helsinki and Athens.

“Festy is a little bit different kind of player. He's really exciting and can do things that just blow your mind, with that speed,” said Ireland boss Hallgrimsson yesterday.

“Nobody can frame Festy as something because he can play all positions. That’s the good thing about him. He came in against Finland and was really good. He was a decisive factor in that win. Maybe not as good against Greece but definitely he comes in and tells you he can change games. It’s good for him that he’s knocking on the door.”

After the win in Helsinki, Hallgrimsson praised Ebosele for his self confidence and the way he backed himself to be a game-changer.And while the Icelander likes that about the 22-year-old, he added a note of caution and said: “In possession, yes. Out of possession, if you’re too confident you can get caught.

“But, in possession, yes, we need players, especially against the good teams, that just go for it, take their player on, just cross it, just run in the box, no hesitation. The last game for Watford, Festy played right-back in the first half and left-back in the second half and was good at both.

“He’s really good going forward, really good, and there are not many that have his speed, so he can play a lot of roles. For example, in the Greece game, he started as a winger and ended up as a full-back, so it's good to have a player that you can move and tweak in-game.”

Only Josh Cullen and Jayson Molumby are recognised defensive midfielders in Hallgrimsson’s nnoticeably attack-minded squad. Jason Knight, Finn Azaz and Andy Moran like to get forward from midfielders while Ebosele, Kasey McAteer and Mikey Johnston are wide players listed as forwards. Evan Ferguson, Sammie Szmodics, Adam Idah, Troy Parrott and Tom Cannon - recalled after three goals in his last three games for Stoke - are the recognised strikers.

It’s clear that Hallgrimsson is targeting the Finland game as where Ireland can pick up the win - and his first at home - that ensures they avoid Nations League relegation. That would leave the England game at Wembley up to chance, but Hallgrimsson makes no apologies for the twin mindset.

“Finland is the decisive game in the group,” he said. “That is why we separate these games because they are definitely two different games.”

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If Ireland beat Finland and lost to England, they would finish the campaign in third place in the group with two wins and four defeats. It would set-up a two-legged playoff in March against a second-placed League C team to see who competes in League B in the next Nations League.

Asked if he would deem it a reasonable campaign, Hallgrimsson paused and in a nod to the World Cup, said: “I’d be reasonably happy with two wins, but it won’t qualify for us major finals.”

The World Cup qualifying draw takes place on December 13 and Ireland look certain to be third seeds, meaning it will be a tall order to qualify for 2026. Hallgrimsson acknowledged as much and added: “Absolutely. That’s why we need to be better against the bigger teams.

“We’ll definitely play two teams ranked higher than us. Looking back at Greece away, they had so much possession and dominance in the first half but couldn’t score. That is something we need to repeat. Even without possession we can still be in the game and if defensively solid only need one goal to win it. If we want to qualify, the task is to play against the bigger teams without conceding.”

Republic of Ireland Squad - Finland & England

Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Max O'Leary (Bristol City)

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Shane Duffy (Norwich City), Mark McGuinness (Luton Town), Liam Scales (Celtic), Callum O'Dowda (Cardiff City).

Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), Andy Moran (Stoke City, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion).

Forwards: Adam Idah (Celtic), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Tom Cannon (Stoke City, on loan from Leicester City), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Festy Ebosele (Watford, on loan from Udinese), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion).

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