Irish U21 boss Jim Crawford has backed Serie A new boy James Abankwah to build on his starting debut for Udinese and take the Italian league by storm next season.
Abankwah, 19, shone for Udinese against Juventus on Sunday, and unsurprisingly has been promoted from the Irish U19 team to Crawford’s U21 side.
In all there are nine newcomers into Crawford’s panel for a three-game summer series against Gabon, Kuwait and Ukraine this month - but one name stands out, Abankwah who is one of just five Irish players to have played in the Italian top-flight.