91Èȱ¬

Derby County defender Richard Keogh is excited at the prospect of playing for the Republic of Ireland.

The 26-year-old was included in Giovanni Trapattoni's squad for the friendly against Poland.

Keogh is one of five uncapped players to be named in the squad.

"From a personal point of view it's great that I'm in this squad. I'm really excited to get in there, keep my head down and work hard," he told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Derby.

"I think the whole experience of it is going to be fantastic.

"It's only going to keep me confident for Derby and hopefully if I can do well and get some pitch time, it'll be a great achievement."

The Republic currently sit third in World Cup qualifying Group C with six points, four behind leaders Germany but with a game in hand, and a point behind Sweden.

And Keogh says reaching the World Cup is the big priority.

"We got a pretty tough group but I think it's a group we can definitely be involved in, certainly in the top two," the former Irish Under-21 captain added.