Midfielder Owen Garvan has been confirmed in the full Republic of Ireland squad meeting up with new manager Giovanni Trapattoni for the first time later this month. Garvan was included in the provisional 40-man list announced last month and will be in the 28-man party at the Dublin camp.
Garvan, linked with Everton once again by the Irish press this morning, is one of several U21 players who won't be available for next week's tournament in Malaysia, but coach Don Givens doesn't mind being without them: "It's a great chance for the lads to go and work with the senior team and the new manager, so I am happy to lose them from the U21s.
"The opportunity to get into the senior squad and gain that experience is always special for a young player, but these players will get something extra when they get a chance to work with a manager like Trapattoni.
"When he came into the job he said he would give younger players an opportunity and that's what he will do when he goes to Portugal.
"Some of those players who are still eligible for the U21s, like Owen Garvan and Andy Keogh, have played a lot of games for their clubs this season, while Keogh and Gibson have also been playing for the Irish senior team as well as the U21s, and they are probably a bit tired at the end of the season, but they were not going to pass up the chance to work with people like Giovanni Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli.â€Â
Garvan, who has a year left on his current Town contract, has been offered a new deal which would take him up to the summer of 2011 and will reportedly make a decision on whether to sign it this week.
Striker Billy Clarke is included in the squad travelling to Malaysia, but Shane Supple is left out because, according to Irish reports, he will need surgery on an unspecified injury over the summer. Clarke and Supple are both currently on loan at Falkirk where Clarke has scored one goal in one start and seven sub appearances and Supple has played three games.