And so the teasing continues. Every time Giovanni Trapattoni has received criticism as Ireland manager, be it because of his inaction from the dugout against Russia, or as a result of his side's conservative style of play in other fixtures, he has partially deflected it each time by hinting that his next squad might just be made up of a number of new faces. Talk of the possible inclusion of young players from outside the squad, or an English-born player who might declare for Ireland, is generally enough to set a different media agenda for a few days but it's rare that any of the players Trapattoni mentions actually make his next squad.

Little changed on that front on Friday when the squad for the 17 November friendly against Norway – or rather the 27-man group from which the squad will be selected from – was named. Jonathan Walters, who the manager did namecheck briefly after the Slovakia game, is a new addition to the set-up but the Stoke City striker aside, Trapattoni's ensemble has a pretty familiar look to it. Ciaran Clark's exclusion, admittedly, is simply a matter of red tape but it remains a puzzle as to why the Italian actively pursues the likes of Mark Noble and Hogan Ephraim – as he has Jamie O'Hara in the past – but then stops short of bringing them into his squad.

At least, in all of this, Trapattoni has named a couple of Ireland's high-performing young guns who had previously been on the fringes of his thinking. Seamus Coleman has been in excellent form for Everton on the right side of midfield, while Marc Wilson has just begun to establish himself at the heart of Stoke City's engine room. Keith Treacy is another player that Trapattoni appears keen to take a look at. All three are crucial to Ireland's future.

In terms of those returning to the squad following injury, Stephen Hunt's inclusion was a formality once he started to play for Wolves, and while Caleb Folan might not be rated all that highly by many Irish fans, Trapattoni has always spoken in positive terms about what the striker brings to the side. The 28-year-old has been plagued by injuries these past 12 months but two starts for Hull City in recent weeks has been enough to persuade Ireland's manager to bring him back. Both players have a chance of featuring against Norway given that Trapattoni already knows and trusts them, although, when you think about it, the manager should really be attempting to find out about players he knows nothing about in friendly games. But that's how Trapattoni does his business. The fresh faces in the squad will most likely have to be content with showing the Italian what they're capable of in training.

Ireland squad

Given, Westwood, O'Shea, Coleman, Dunne, St Ledger, Cunningham, Foley, McShane, Kilbane, Hunt, O'Dea, Wilson, Gibson, Whelan, Green, Lawrence, Hunt, McGeady, Treacy, Duff, Fahey, Walters, Keane, Doyle, Folan, Long