The 42

CELTIC STRIKER JOHNNY Kenny has been called into the Ireland squad, with Evan Ferguson ruled out of Thursday’s crunch World Cup qualifier against Portugal.

But Ferguson will continue his injury rehabilitation at AS Roma “in the hope of being fit” for Sunday’s showdown away to Hungary, a squad update from the FAI adds.

Hibernian midfielder Jamie McGrath has also been called into the squad for the double-header, as Mark Sykes drops out through injury.

Squad Update | @CelticFC striker Johnny Kenny & @HibernianFC midfielder Jamie McGrath called into the squad for the Portugal & Hungary fixtures 🇮🇪

Evan Ferguson has been ruled out of the Portugal match but will continue his rehab at Roma in the hope of being fit for the Hungary… pic.twitter.com/88VVpGxjxJ

— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) November 10, 2025

Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson confirmed that in-form Kenny was on standby as he announced his squad last week, with Ferguson recently suffering an ankle injury.

Ferguson was not included in Roma’s squad for Saturday’s Serie A game against Udinese, with manager Gian Piero Gasperini appearing to effectively rule him out of the international window afterwards.

“Ferguson isn’t fit, we hope to get someone back during the break,” he said.

But Ireland will hope their star striker can recover to play some part against Hungary.

Sykes, meanwhile, missed Bristol City’s 1-1 draw with Watford on Friday night and manager Gerhard Struber confirmed he would stay with his club for the international break.

Hallgrímsson previously suggested Sykes would report for assessment, but McGrath returns to the fold in his absence.

Written by Emma Duffy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.