Sean Moore: Cliftonville winger likely to be selected by NI U19s despite Republic call-up
- Published
Sean Moore made his Cliftonville debut as a 16-year-old
Sean Moore is likely to be selected by Northern Ireland for next month's elite stage Under-19 Euro qualifiers despite being called up for a Republic of Ireland U19s training camp.
The Irish FA is believed to be confident that the 17-year-old Cliftonville winger will remain in their set-up, having already played for them at youth level.
Moore has starred for the Reds this season and was last month named in Northern Ireland's U18 squad for this year's Centenary Shield.
He also played in two U18 friendlies for Northern Ireland in November, having previously not been selected for an U17 Euros qualification campaign.
Northern Ireland will face France, Romania and Norway in Group One of the U19 Euro 2023 elite round next month, with the winner of the group qualifying for the finals.
Gerard Lyttle, manager of the Northern Ireland U19 and U17 sides, spoke recently about Moore's qualities and how closely he has monitored him, describing him as a "late bloomer" who gets fans out of their seats.
It was announced on Monday that the winger has been called up by Republic U19 boss Tom Mohan for a 36-player home-based assessment day.
Dundalk's Eoin Kenny - son of Republic of Ireland senior team manager Stephen - is also part of the squad.
The Football Association of Ireland says the assessment day, which includes two behind-closed-doors friendlies, is a chance for players to impress ahead of the Republic's Euro U19 qualifiers in March.
Neither the Republic's U19 friendlies nor the Centenary Shield are classed as official internationals, meaning Moore could still play for either the Republic or Northern Ireland at international level.
Moore's eye-catching performances for Cliftonville led to cross-channel interest in January, but he remained with the Irish Premiership leaders as the window last week.
"Cliftonville Football Club congratulates Sean Moore on his call-up to the Republic of Ireland Under-19s training camp in Dublin today," Cliftonville said in a statement about his Republic call-up.
"Tom Mohan, the team's head Coach, has been keeping a watching brief on the player for some time, complemented by the attendance at many of Sean's games, both at youth and senior level, by members of the Under-19 coaching team."
Republic of Ireland Under-19s training camp squad
Goalkeepers: Reece Byrne (Bohemians), Kieran McDonagh (Galway United), Fiachra Pagel (Drogheda United, on loan from Forest Green Rovers), Conor Walsh (Sligo Rovers)
Defenders: Derinsola Adewale (Bohemians), Conor Barr (Derry City), Sean Carey (Shamrock Rovers), Eanna Clancy (Sligo Rovers), Kieran Cruise (Shamrock Rovers), Ben Curtis (Drogheda United), Carl Lennox (Shamrock Rovers), Jake McCormack (Bohemians), Michael McCarthy (Cobh Ramblers), John O'Donovan (Cork City), Eli Rooney (Sligo Rovers), Lewis Temple (Shelbourne), Harvey Warren (Waterford)
Midfielders: Oisin Coleman (Dundalk), Zack Dunne (Cork City), Steven Healy (Galway United), Darius Lipsic (St Patrick's Athletic), James McManus (Bohemians), Harvey Nugent (Shelbourne), Joe O' Brien-Whitmarsh (Cork City)
Forwards: Anthony Adenepo (Waterford), Kennedy Amechi (Kerry FC), Gbemi Arubi (Shelbourne), Jason Florain (St Patrick's Athletic), Gavin Hodgins (Shelbourne), Eoin Kenny (Dundalk), Chris Lotefa (Bohemians), Anthony Mayo (Dundalk), Sean Moore (Cliftonville), David Tarney (Galway United), Gideon Tetteh (Shamrock Rovers), David Toure (Shelbourne)