The Republic of Ireland squad has seen a last-minute shake-up ahead of their upcoming friendly against Grenada, with Newcastle United's young talent Rory Finneran earning his first senior call-up.

The 18-year-old midfielder has joined manager Heimir Hallgrímsson's squad in Murcia, Spain, as they prepare for Saturday's clash at the Estadio Nueva Condomina (17:00 BST). Finneran, who made the switch from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle in 2024, has already represented Ireland at U17 and U19 levels, and now gets his chance to shine on the senior stage.

This opportunity comes after withdrawals from Cardiff City defender Joel Bagan and Ipswich Town winger Kasey McAteer, both ruled out through injury. But the bigger story is the absence of Benfica attacker Jaden Umeh, who had received his first senior call-up but was pulled out by his club.

Here's the catch: since this friendly falls outside FIFA's international window, clubs are under no obligation to release their players. Benfica's U19s face a crucial match against Famalicao on Saturday, with UEFA Youth League qualification on the line. Umeh, fresh off a two-goal performance in a 6-2 win over UD Leiria, is too important to lose for that must-win game.

"Benfica are still fighting in their U19s to be in the UEFA Youth League," Hallgrímsson explained. "The plan was for them to have secured that by now, but unfortunately, results this weekend didn't go their way, so Jaden still has one more game to play. We knew beforehand that this was a possibility, even if it was unlikely. It's unlucky for him, as we were looking forward to working with him, but we understand the club's position."

For Finneran, it's a dream debut call-up that showcases the depth of young talent emerging in Irish football. As the squad adapts to these late changes, all eyes will be on how the new faces perform in this international friendly test.