Gavin Bazunu's omission from the Team of the Year in League One has been labelled ‘ridiculous’.
His loan club Portsmouth are up in arms after the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper was controversially snubbed after a stellar season.
Bazunu, 20, plays his penultimate game for Pompey tonight and will line out for them for the final time against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
The Dubliner will then return to parent club Manchester City who will consider his next move ahead of next season.
A host of clubs are set to compete for his signature this summer.
Former Shamrock Rovers ‘keeper Bazunu - who looks destined for the top of the game - is not expected to play any lower than the Championship next year.
And Preston North End and Sheffield United are the latest admirers of Stephen Kenny’s star between the posts.
But Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley is flabbergasted at how Bazunu was overlooked for the League One ‘Team of the Year’.
Plymouth goalkeeper Michael Cooper was named ahead of him but the pair boast similar statistics for the season.
Ahead of tonight’s home clash with Wigan, Bazunu had kept 16 clean sheets in 42 league starts while Cooper had 18 from 45 starts.
Cowley fumed: "I don't know who makes those decisions. How? Just tell me how he didn't get in the team?
“Whoever picks it, I don't know, it is one of the most ridiculous decisions ever.
"I think anybody who has seen Gavin play 44 games this season would know he’s the best goalkeeper in this division.
“Significantly, it’s not even close. For me, he will go on and become a world-class goalkeeper.
"Gavin has had a fantastic season and rightly will go on to the next level, if not the one above that.
“We know where his destiny lies. We have been privileged really to be able to play a part in that journey.”
Speaking to the Portsmouth News, Cowley added: "I don’t know how they get picked to be honest, I don’t know who picks them.
“I just want to know if it’s someone who has been to a significant number of games – that’s the reality, isn’t it?
Bazunu’s club season finishes this weekend but he is set to feature for Ireland in June’s Nations League fixtures having missed the March friendlies through illness.
Liverpool’s Caoimhim Kelleher made rare starts in goal for those games against Belgium and Lithuania.
But Bazunu had cemented his standing as Ireland’s No 1 up to that point and is likely to return to the team for the game in Armenia on June 4.
The Boys in Green then host Ukraine and Scotland at Aviva Stadium on June 8 and 11 respectively, before facing Ukraine away on June 14.
Last week, Ukraine manager Oleksandr Petrakov said they would play their ‘home’ games in Poland due to the Russian invasion.
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
