Portsmouth's Ronan Curtis to travel with Republic of Ireland to Finland today as squad is hit by another Covid-19 withdrawal

Ronan Curtis will travel with the Republic of Ireland squad to Helsinki today.
Ronan Curtis made his Republic of Ireland international debut against Northern Ireland in November 2018.  Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty ImagesRonan Curtis made his Republic of Ireland international debut against Northern Ireland in November 2018.  Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Ronan Curtis made his Republic of Ireland international debut against Northern Ireland in November 2018. Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

That’s despite one of Stephen Kenny’s players having to withdraw from the Irish set-up after recording a second positive coronavirus test in three days – just hours after receiving a negative result.

The player – who cannot be named – has withdrawn from the squad that will face Finland in a Nations League fixture tomorrow (5pm).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He is currently in self-isolation and no member of the Irish party or backroom team have been identified as a close contact.

Curtis earned a late Eire call-up on Sunday night after the squad was decimated because of coronavirus issues ahead of their game against Wales earlier that day.

John Egan, Callum Robinson, Callum O'Dowda, Alan Browne and Derrick Williams all missed the match in Dublin after another unnamed player tested positive.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Four other squad members identified as close contacts of the player were also stood down ahead of Sunday's fixture.

Meanwhile, Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah were already out after being deemed to have been in close contact with a member of the Republic's backroom team who tested positive ahead of their Euro 2021 play-off semi-final against Slovakia.

Brighton youngster Connolly has since rejoined the joined the squad after the staff member who tested positive in Bratislava on Wednesday received a ‘false positive’ result.

If Curtis features against Finland, it will be his fourth international appearance after being handed his debut against Northern Ireland in 2018.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His call-up is his first under Kenny, who replaced former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy in April.

The winger has made nine appearances for Pompey this season, scoring three goals and providing three assists.

He’ll be available for the Blues’ game against Doncaster Rovers at Fratton Park barring injury.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The News has launched a new subscription offer which gives you unlimited access to all of our Pompey coverage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

You can subscribe here to get the latest updates from Fratton Park, transfer news and expert analysis from our team of Pompey writers.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism on your behalf for our city.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.