Mason Melia given timeline for Ireland debut as Heimir Hallgrimsson shares plan for Tottenham striker

Mason Melia's Ireland call-up was only the beginning of how highly-rated the Tottenham Hotspur talent is.

Receiving an international selection despite not featuring at senior level is a rare thing and often only happens for those with plenty of potential.

Melia is certainly one of those talents, and with Ireland having two international games over the postseason break, he will be eyeing his chance.

It could be a way to highlight himself in front of Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi, with strong performances forcing the Italian to take notice.

However, ahead of the upcoming international games, Melia may be forced to wait for that debut he will so desperately crave.

What are the chances of Mason Melia featuring for Ireland vs Qatar now?

Tottenham fans will be eagerly waiting to capture a glimpse of young talent Melia at a more senior level after playing for Spurs' youth sides.

After being called up for the upcoming post-season international break, it looks like they will not have long to wait now.

Melia's chance for Ireland looked to increase after withdrawals from the squad, but now after manager Hallgrimsson's latest comments, the young striker may be forced to wait.

Speaking ahead of facing Qatar, the Ireland manager shared: "We’ll start with the ones that have been with us before. That gives us another week to prepare the younger guys for the Canada match."

Of course, with this being Melia's inaugural call-up, he will not land under that umbrella, with the Irish boss now hinting towards an added wait.

Ireland's game against Canada arrives on 6 June, giving Melia more time to impress Hallgrimsson in training as the build-up to that fixture continues.

Would Mason Melia be platformed correctly by Ireland?

Ireland are not the most attacking force out there and often look to hit teams on the break rather than win through possession.

However, that could be ideal for a striker looking to exploit space.

This is evident from the data from their World Cup qualifying stats. Under Hallgrimsson, Ireland averages just 43.7 per cent possession per game, as per Sofascore.

However, they do create plenty of big chances per match with 2.6. Yes, it is not to the level of which England created, with their total from that same qualifying period being 4.1.

But if Melia is platformed down the middle for Ireland, the 18-year-old would certainly have his chances to net his first goal for his country, with a shots-on-target total of 4.3 for the Boys in Green as well.