Liverpool's Ben Woodburn a possible for Wales squad to face Republic of Ireland

Could Ben Woodburn be close to a Wales call?

Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn's senior international future could soon be decided.

Wales boss Chris Coleman is reported to be considering 17-year-old Woodburn for a senior call-up when he names his squad to face the Republic of Ireland on Thursday.

Woodburn, who was born in Chester, has represented Wales at four junior levels, from U15 to U19, but he also qualifies for England.

"He's knocking on the door now," Wales assistant manager Osian Roberts said. "What's definite is that there are a lot of young players in this group doing that. And we need that. We're really pleased with them.

"A lot of them have already been in our camps for a week at a time to get that experience, so they can make that step when the chance comes. It's important we have that freshness as we move on."

Liverpool team-mate Harry Wilson is currently Wales' youngest international, having made his only senior appearance in 2013 at the age of 16.

Woodburn would become the third youngest debutant, with Gareth Bale the only other player under the age of 17 to have made a senior Wales appearance.

He impressed in the last half-hour of Liverpool's 2-1 win over Burnley on Sunday after coming off the bench.

2:51 Liverpool 2-1 Burnley Liverpool 2-1 Burnley

That was his seventh senior appearance for the club and he scored his first Liverpool goal in the 2-0 win over Leeds United in the EFL Cup back in November.

Wales travel to Dublin on March 24, looking for a win to make inroads into the four-point deficit they currently have on the Group D leaders.