KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 —Ireland under-21 team manager Don Givens has announced a 19-man squad spearheaded by Sunderland marksman Anthony Stokes for the inaugural Intercontinental Cup starting on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur.

Stokes, who has already been capped at senior level, is not the only young star from the English Premier League in the squad.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), in it's official website, said other notable names include the Blackburn Rovers trio of Eddie Nolan, Keith Treacy and Alan Judge, Manchester City’s Karl Moore and Aston Villa’s Shane Lowry.

Stokes, rated highly by former Irish and Manchester United captain Roy Keane, earned his first cap for Ireland in its 2–1 win away to San Marino on Feb 7, 2007, coming on as a substitute.

The 19-year-old Dubliner broke into the Arsenal reserves in 2004 after joining from Shelbourne but made only one appearance for the Gunners, in a Carling Cup match in 2005.   

Givens, a former Queens Park Rangers midfielder, chose to exclude Ireland- or Scotland-based players, given that their seasons are still under way, while he also omitted any player on duty in the forthcoming Football League promotion play-offs.

The Irish youngsters will face Iraq, hosts Malaysia and Nigeria in Group A, with the top two sides advancing to the semifinals.

The Ireland under-21 squad:

Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (Charlton Athletic), Shane Redmond (Nottingham Forest).

Defenders: Darren Dennehy (Everton), Eddie Nolan (Blackburn Rovers), Michael Spillane (Norwich City), Shane Lowry (Aston Villa), Ian Morris (Scunthorpe United), Marc Wilson (Portsmouth).

Midfielders: Michael Collins (Huddersfield), Stephen Quinn (Sheffield United), Alan Power (Nottingham Forest), Keith Keane (Luton Town), Stephen Maher (Yeovil Town), James Berrett (Huddersfield Town).

Forwards: Anthony Stokes (Sunderland), Billy Clarke (Ipswich Town), Karl Moore (Manchester City), Alan Judge (Blackburn Rovers), Keith Treacy (Blackburn Rovers). — Bernama