The final international break of 2024 is now in the rear-view mirror, with Town seeing eight first-team players head off to represent their countries, Kallum Brisset rounds up how they fared.

Town’s Republic of Ireland contingent were on their travels once again with Sammie Szmodics and Dara O’Shea both featuring for the Boys in Green.

Szmodics started both of the UEFA Nations League matches – a 1-0 victory against Finland, in which he saw a first half goal ruled out for offside, and the heavy 5-0 defeat to England at Wembley Stadium.

Having been a doubt due to an ongoing back issue, O’Shea came on as a substitute against the Finns before playing the full 90 minutes at right-back under the arch in London.

Szmodics has now picked up 10 caps, while O’Shea is onto 32 appearances for his country who finished third in the group and face a relegation play-off in March.

England U21s had two friendlies away to their Spanish and Dutch counterparts and Town’s in-form striker Liam Delap featured in both, the first ending 0-0 and the second 1-1.

He played 68 minutes from the start in Spain before coming on as a substitute against the Netherlands to take his total caps at that level to 10.

Teammate Omari Hutchinson was involved in the camp but did not feature in either matchday squad, instead returning to the Blues on Saturday due to a knock that is not expected to keep the 20-year-old out for long.

Young Lions interim boss Ben Futcher said: “I don’t believe it is anything concerning [for Ipswich]. He just got a knock in the game before we travelled and we just didn’t want to take any chances.

"We’ve been in communication with Ipswich and I spoke to Omari. I just felt the best thing to do was go back. He wanted to stay a bit longer but we felt it was best he went back.”

Hutchinson had previously been capped twice at that level, scoring once, having switched his allegiance back from Jamaica, who he represented in two senior friendlies.

Defender Cameron Burgess was back with the Australia squad as they continued to stumble towards qualification for the World Cup.

The Socceroos are leading a group of five sides separated by a single point with four matches to play following a goalless home draw with Saudi Arabia and a 2-2 draw away in Bahrain.

Burgess played the full 90 minutes of both as he earned his 12th and 13th caps for Australia.

Goalkeeper Aro Muric went away with Kosovo and was involved as their UEFA Nations League clash in Romania was abandoned in stoppage time with the scoreline 0-0 after the team walked off the field amid pro-Serbia chanting from the home supporters.

The Kosovans are still awaiting a decision from UEFA on how it affects their final standings with both countries in with a chance of promotion to League B.

They followed with a second clean sheet in a 1-0 home victory over Lithuania, despite his side having been reduced to 10 men just before half-time, a game which took Muric’s total caps to 42 should the Romania match be deemed to have concluded.

It was a special international break for the Blues’ third-choice goalkeeper Cieran Slicker, who was called up to the senior Scotland squad for the first time in his career having previously captained his country’s U21s.

Slicker is still awaiting his first cap as he was an unused substitute in both of the Tartan Army’s UEFA Nations League victories against Croatia and Poland.

Those two results have given Scotland the chance of survival in League A as they head into the play-offs in March.

Ali Al-Hamadi did not add to his 14 caps for Iraq as he remained an unused substitute for the 0-0 home draw with Jordan and 1-0 victory in Oman.

The striker has not been capped since September and watched on as his nation continued their impressive run in World Cup qualifying.

Town’s Welsh duo of Wes Burns and Nathan Broadhead pulled out of the squad for matches against Türkiye and Iceland as the pair manage knocks. Both had initially been named in Craig Bellamy’s squad for the UEFA Nations League matches. In their absence, Wales secured top spot in Group B4 to secure promotion to League A.

Republic of Ireland pair Jack Taylor and Chiedozie Ogbene were denied the opportunity to join up with teammates Szmodics and O’Shea due to injuries of their own.

Taylor had been ruled out with a minor hamstring problem while Ogbene, who recently won the FAI’s Senior Men’s International Player of the Year award, is expected to be out for the season having undergone Achilles surgery.

Jens Cajuste was not named in the Sweden squad as the Napoli loanee continues to manage an ongoing knee issue.

The midfielder said two weeks ago that it was a mutual decision between club and country to not select him for this window in which his nation were promoted to League B of the UEFA Nations League.

Massimo Luongo came out of international retirement with Australia last month but was again denied the opportunity to link up with the Socceroos as the midfielder was not selected having trained little following his ankle injury.

Defender Axel Tuanzebe was not named in the DR Congo squad having only returned surprisingly from a hand injury prior to the international break.

There were also further international honours for two of the Blues’ U21s squad during the recent window, where Ash Boatswain and Woody Williamson were both in action.

Boatswain started both of Montserrat’s CONCACAF Nations League defeats to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and El Salvador.

The Emerald Boys, managed by former Town midfielder Lee Bowyer, were relegated to League C with Boatswain taking his number of caps to six. Having initially appeared to have broken his international duck in the 2-1 defeat to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the goal was eventually awarded to skipper Donervan Daniels.

Williamson earned his 10th Scotland U19s cap in their 4-0 victory over Liechtenstein in Euro 2025 qualifying, the goalkeeper remaining as an unused substitute in the other two matches with their Welsh and French counterparts.

Photo: Gareth Evans/News Images/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

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