Former Manchester United forward set to declare for Ireland

Mick McCarthy looks to have convinced a couple of intriguing prospects to declare for the Republic of Ireland.

Former Manchester United forward Will Keane is expected to make himself available for Ireland according to a new report from the Irish Times. Keane, who is currently on loan at Ipswich Town from parent club Hull City, is in talks with the FAI to represent Ireland at senior international level, having featured for England at U16, U17, U19, U20 and U21 level. The 26-year-old is eligible to play for Ireland through his father and he will hopefully provide some much-needed firepower to McCarthy's attack. Manchester-born Keane, whose brother Michael plays for Everton, learned his trade at the Manchester United academy and made his senior debut for the Red Devils on 31 December, 2011. He only ended up making three appearances for United before being sent out on loan moves to Wigan Athletic, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End. In 2016, he signed for Hull. It's also understood that Bayern Munich youngster Ryan Johansson has made the FAI aware that he hopes to represent Ireland at international level, despite being eligible to declare for Sweden. The 17-year-old was born in Luxembourg but is eligible to represent the Boys in Green thanks to his Mullingar-born mother.