Last week it was confirmed that Colin O'Brien and Tom Mohan's sides are both ranked inside Europe.

Mohan's side who reached the Semi-Finals in the UEFA Under-19 European Championships earlier this year are ranked in tenth place on the UEFA Rankings, with O'Brien's Under-17s ranked one place higher in ninth.

O'Brien's Under-17s have reached the UEFA Under-17 European Chmapionships for the past three years, which has contributed to their high rankings.

Speaking about the news, FAI High Performance Director Ruud Dokter said the rankings show the good work being done at underage levels.

"It is a fantastic achievement to that the the Under-17s and Under-19’s are in the top ten in Europe. This a calculation from the 2015/16 season onwards and the results should not be underestimated.

"We have performed in two age groups better than many high-profile countries. Some of these are ranked higher on the FIFA World Rankings. It reflects that we are producing excellent players who are able to compete at the highest level in Europe.

"It also reflects the brilliant work done by all of the International/ETP coaches and all of the coaches in the SSE Airtricity National Underage Leagues as well. We have a bright future ahead of us and I can’t wait to see those players progress to the Senior Team."