Keeley and Alli could make senior debuts later this month

Luton Town duo Josh Keeley and Milli Alli have been named in a 21-man Republic of Ireland squad for their international friendly against Grenada next week.

Keeper Keeley was back in the squad following a near 10-month absence for the World Cup Finals play-off defeat against the Czech Republic in March and goalless draw in their following friendly with North Macedonia. The 22-year-old finished his season with a starring role in the Hatters’ 3-2 victory at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday that wasn’t quite enough to earn a place in the League One play-offs, pipped to the top six by Stevenage.

Meanwhile, Alli, who spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Championship club Portsmouth, playing 21 times, scoring once and adding two assists, was a late call-up for the friendly against North Macedonia recently, and has been retained by head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, along with ex-Hatters defender Mark McGuinness, for the training camp in Murcia, Spain, which concludes with an international friendly against the Spice Boyz.

Josh Keeley has been called up by the Republic of Ireland - pic: David Horn / PRiME Media Images

placeholder image — Josh Keeley has been called up by the Republic of Ireland - pic: David Horn / PRiME Media Images

A statement on the official Irish FA website said: “The players will head to Spain on Thursday, for an intensive warm-weather training camp. The window will culminate in a fixture against Grenada on Saturday, May 16th, at the Estadio Nueva Condomina, with kick-off at 5:00 PM (6:00 PM local time). With the English Football League regular season having concluded this weekend, head coach Hallgrímsson has selected a squad primarily composed of players from the Championship and League One.

"Players involved in the EFL play-offs or based in the Premier League, the League of Ireland, the Scottish Premiership, and other major European leagues will be considered for selection for the matches against Qatar and Canada later in the month. One notable exception is the inclusion of 18-year-old forward Jaden Umeh. The Benfica attacker has been released by the Portuguese club to participate in the Murcia camp, marking his first step into the senior international setup.

Full squad – Goalkeepers: Max O'Leary (West Bromwich Albion), Josh Keeley (Luton Town), Killian Cahill (Leyton Orient). Defenders: Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Eiran Cashin (Blackburn Rovers - loan), James Abankwah (Watford), Mark McGuinness (Sheffield United), Tayo Adaramola (Sheffield Wednesday - loan), Joel Bagan (Cardiff City).

Midfielders: Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Conor Coventry (Charlton Athletic), Andrew Moran (Preston North End). Forwards: Adam Idah (Swansea City), Tom Cannon (Sheffield United), Chiedozie Ogbene (Sheffield United - loan), Kasey McAteer (Ipswich Town), Millenic Alli (Portsmouth), Jack Moylan (Lincoln City), Aidomo Emakhu (Oxford United), Jaden Umeh (Benfica).