Former Northern Ireland coach on 'what stood out most' about working with new senior call-up

When O’Neill named his panel for Northern Ireland’s final two Nations League matches against Ukraine and Hungary later this month on Tuesday morning, much of the attention focused around Kenny’s inclusion alongside Manchester United goalkeeper Dermot Mee.

The 20-year-old, who earned a high-profile transfer from Dundalk to Portsmouth last summer, is the latest youngster being afforded a chance to shine on the international stage by O’Neill – 17 of the 25 players selected are aged 23 or under.

Born in Londonderry, Kenny first played for Northern Ireland at underage level after being called up by Lyttle aged 16 in 2022.

Placed in charge of the country’s talented U17 and U19 squads, Lyttle recognised a need to address the gap between teams and those players – including Kenny – who could potentially slip between the cracks while awaiting their opportunity.

Kenny represented Northern Ireland’s U18s at the 2022 SuperCupNI, making his debut against Manchester United, and also played in a pair of friendlies opposite Austria before opting to switch international allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.

However, Kenny returned to Northern Ireland’s fold in August 2025 ahead of their U21 European Championships qualifying campaign, featuring in all 10 matches for Tommy Wright’s side, and captained the nation against Greece last month.

At the time when Lyttle first selected Kenny for Northern Ireland, his father Stephen was serving as manager of the Republic of Ireland, and while it potentially seems like a complex situation to navigate, the current Cliftonville assistant felt it was handled expertly by all parties.

"I was surprised at the time that he wasn't in around the squads of the Republic of Ireland,” Lyttle told the News Letter. “At that stage, it worked out well.

"I was looking after the U17s and U19s, but I always felt there was a gap between them for the likes of Eoin who had to wait, because there was no U18s...they had to wait a year or two, depending on the tournaments, before they were even considered or selected.

"By that stage, you could lose one or two players, it just wasn't great.

"I spoke to Patrick Nelson, Aaron Hughes and Andy Waterworth about putting an U18s side together and arranging a few friendlies, and that’s what we did.

"We took them to the SuperCup, Eoin’s first match was against Manchester United and then we played against Austria – that got him around that environment of international football.

"He came in and he was brilliant – his mannerisms, his professionalism, his willingness and desire to improve and do well.

"It wasn't easy because when I selected him, his dad was the senior Republic of Ireland manager – that's not easy for any of them, so to conduct themselves in the way they have and the way he has is brilliant.”

Lyttle initially worked as head coach of the Irish FA’s JD Academy before taking over his joint-role as Northern Ireland’s U17 and U19 manager in February 2021, serving for over two years prior to leaving to join Jim Magilton at Solitude.

Over recent years, Lyttle has watched on proudly as a host of those talented youngsters he helped develop take significant senior steps.

Shea Charles broke Northern Ireland’s record transfer fee by joining Fulham for £30million last summer while Conor Haughey made headlines last week, scoring a winning penalty against Premier League champions Arsenal for Fleetwood Town.

Kenny’s senior inclusion provides another moment of reflection for Lyttle – but one he always felt was possible.

“These things make me happy,” added Lyttle. “When you see young lads stepping up and being included in a senior squad, that’s an unbelievable achievement for any young lad.

"I’m really, really ecstatic for Eoin. I dropped his dad a text this morning, I get on really well with Stephen still, and I texted him saying how happy and delighted I was for Eoin and the family, he deserves it. He's a good lad, a really good kid.

"Thinking back, when I called him up, I'd just seen something...he profiled brilliantly, he's a great size, great height, and for his height, technically he was very, very good. He probably just needed to add a few more goals to his game.

"At that stage, I was playing him up front...he played off the right and as a 10 at Dundalk.

"What stood out more for me was his personality, his character and his politeness. He was actually a joy to watch and a joy to his family to come up and do what he done. I’m really, really happy for him, really happy.

"Fair play to Michael and his staff, in terms of showing a bit of faith in young lads. They are repaying him and he's now probably looking at one or two others thinking they can do the same.

"I was always watching Eoin’s development and how he did in his career...it’s great to see and it doesn't surprise me one bit.”