Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has suggested Town may have been “overloading” currently injured forward Sammie Szmodics, while revealing he has never spoken to Blues boss Kieran McKenna during his time in charge of the Boys in Green.

Sections of the Irish press and some fans on social media have been critical of Szmodics for pulling out of three of Hallgrimsson’s squads due to injury but on the latter two occasions then playing for Town immediately after that international break.

The 30-year-old underwent ankle surgery in March, then pulled out of the Irish party for June’s internationals having come on as a sub for Town on the final day of the Premier League campaign against West Ham, the club he grew up supporting.

Szmodics played the first of September’s internationals against Hungary but withdrew ahead of the second in Armenia due to swelling on the ankle on which he had had the op.

He then pulled out of Ireland’s October games having had an injection on the same ankle which required him to have nine-to-10 days’ rest.

A fortnight ago, after undergoing surgery on an unrelated knee injury suffered in the West Brom match, Szmodics hit out at “keyboard warriors” sending him and his family “hate messages” in the wake of those withdrawals.

Last week, Hallgrimsson said he had no reason to doubt Szmodics’s dedication to the Irish cause.

And the Icelander believes the online posts were idle speculation, reiterating that he isn’t questioning Szmodics’s commitment, although while appearing to point a finger at Town regarding the forward’s game-time.

“I think people just assume something and it’s easy to put it on social media. I’m not there, I didn’t read the criticism, I get information from Kieran [Crowley, Ireland communications manager] about these things,” Hallgrimsson said.

“But [Szmodics] has always been honest with me about these things. When he didn’t travel to Armenia we sat for a long time and spoke.

“He was sure he couldn’t play, so it was not worth it to take him there, and that’s both talking to the medical team and talking to the player himself.

“The same when he has been carrying injuries and it has been tough for him, and that’s why he isn’t playing on a regular basis for Ipswich.

“They have been playing him and overloading him, maybe, at times, but he has always been honest with me and I believe him 100 per cent when he says he is not fit. He would play for us every time if he would be fit.”

The insinuation is likely to raise eyebrows at Town with Szmodics having only made seven starts and four sub appearances in all competitions for the Blues this season, a total of 579 minutes - plus a further 15 in the abandoned game at Blackburn - with Town having played 15 times overall, 16 including the Ewood Park fixture.

Hallgrimsson, who has been Ireland boss since July 2024 but may not remain in the hotseat for too much longer with World Cup qualification looking highly unlikely, also surprisingly revealed he has never talked with Town boss Kieran McKenna, despite five members of his squad - Dara O’Shea, Jack Taylor, Kasey McAteer and the on-loan Chieo Ogbene in addition to Szmodics - playing their domestic football at Portman Road.

“I don’t think I have spoken directly to Kieran,” Hallgrimsson added. “It’s more complex today than it was in the past. At clubs there are more people involved in decision-making, so you need to go through certain processes. It’s through the medical team first if it’s a question [of fitness]. So that’s always the first discussion.”

O’Shea, Taylor and Ogbene are currently away with Ireland for their final two World Cup qualifiers against Portugal at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Thursday and then in Hungary at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Sunday.

Photo: Matchday Images