HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON is hoping bigger can be better for Ireland as he prepares to try Killian Phillips for size tonight.
Yesterday’s training session suggested Phillips could earn his first international start — against Luxembourg — having made his debut off the bench against Senegal on Friday.
The Crystal Palace player is 6ft 2in with uncapped pair Bosun Lawal and John Joe Patrick Finn similar in size.
Jason Knight — who is 5ft 8in — and Josh Cullen — who is just an inch taller — have been the regular partnership in the midfield engine room.
But Hallgrimsson reckons there will be times when size matters.
The Icelander said: “We’ve had many similar players, with similar quality. They bring in something different and sometimes in games, you need to have something different.”
As such, Hallgrimsson admitted his inclusion of the three six-footers for the first time was by design.
He added: “We were looking for someone and now it’s a competition between three guys with this physique, if we can say, to show who is ready for the next step.
“Sometimes in games, you need to have that physicality and you need to have height.
“It is good to have those players knowing how we want to play. If called upon, it would be no problem for them to come in.
“I thought Killian did well coming on in the last game even though he was only with us three days. He got his job, understood it and did well.”
Hallgrimsson allowed the media to watch the full eve-of-match training session and seems likely to go with a side mainly consisting of players wearing orange bibs in the 11 v 11 game.
If that is the case, it means four changes with Phillips, Liam Scales, Evan Ferguson and Troy Parrott coming in for Ryan Manning, Dara O’Shea, Adam Idah and Jack Taylor.
The team in orange had Caoimhín Kelleher behind a back four of Matt Doherty, Nathan Collins, Scales and Robbie Brady, with Kasey McAteer, Lawal, Finn and Will Smallbone in midfield.
There was a forward pairing of Ferguson and Parrott.
After a water break, Josh Honohan was subbed in for Brady with Josh Keeley coming in for No 1 Kelleher.
Max O’Leary was between the posts for the blue team with a back four of Jake O’Brien, Andrew Omobamidele, O’Shea and Manning.
There was a midfield quartet of Ebosele, Phillips, Knight and Andrew Moran, with Taylor supporting Idah up top.
But it would seem a reach for Lawal and Finn to start.
Lawal was only added to the squad at the weekend and started once for Stoke City in an injury-hit season, at right-back, in their final league fixture.
As recently as Thursday, Hallgrimsson said Finn had “to grow a little bit more as a player to be starting for Ireland”.
