Sheffield Wednesday: Keiren Westwood in dark over his Republic of Ireland prospects for Euros

Owls star Keiren Westwood is unsure over whether he will be selected in the Republic of Ireland squad for the 2016 European Championships.
Keiren WestwoodKeiren Westwood
Keiren Westwood

Westwood starred in Saturday’s Championship play-off final loss against Hull City, pulling off a string of outstanding stops to keep the Tigers at bay.

“Keiren has been good for us for two years,” stated captain Glenn Loovens. “Making saves is what he gets paid to do and that’s why the club brought him in because he’s a terrific goalkeeper.”

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Despite Westwood’s impressive club form, the 31-year-old has not represented his country since June 2015 when they played England in a friendly.

“Hopefully I will be in the squad,” said Westwood. “You will have to ask Martin O’Neill (Republic boss) who his number one is.

“I honestly don’t know if the final will have helped my cause. It is a question for the manager.”

Following his Owls disappointment, Westwood has linked up with the Republic ahead of their final warm-up match against Belarus in Cork tonight. O’Neill plans on finalising his squad for the finals following the Belarus fixture.

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With West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph expected to make the cut, Westwood appears to be battling it out with David Forde and Shay Given for the remaining two positions.

Along with strikers Robbie Keane and Daryl Murphy, Westwood will be hoping to get a run-out this evening.

Against the odds, the Republic made it to France courtesy of a play-off victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina after finishing third in their qualifying group behind world champions Germany and Poland,