Anna Patten: Aston Villa defender cleared to play for Republic of Ireland
- Published
Patten trained with the Republic of Ireland squad in Dublin on Monday
Aston Villa defender Anna Patten has linked up with the Republic of Ireland squad after receiving international clearance from Fifa.
Patten, 24, represented England at under-age level and required a change of association.
The ex-Arsenal player could feature in the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2025 qualifiers against France and England.
Eileen Gleeson's side face France away on Friday before taking on England in Dublin on Tuesday.
"I was super excited when Eileen gave me the call and now to have the clearance come through is great," said Patten, who qualifies for the Republic of Ireland through her Donegal-born grandfather and Galway-born grandmother.
"This is a really strong squad and I just want to bring what I can to it to help the team.
"My grandparents have always been my greatest supporters and they have really motivated me to work hard to succeed in my career, so I'm delighted to be able to represent Ireland through them."
Patten is part of Gleeson's 26-player squad as the Irish prepare to face France in Metz in their opening Group A3 qualifier.
The Republic of Ireland then host reigning European champions England four days later in Dublin in what will be the first official meeting of the teams in 37 years.
Republic of Ireland squad:
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes).
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Reading - on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses).
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University).