Heimir Hallgrímsson’s options narrow ahead of taxing double-bill for Ireland

With just 10 outfield players involved in training at Abbotstown on Monday morning, it wasn’t quite full steam ahead for Heimir Hallgrímsson and his preparations for Thursday and Sunday’s Nations League games against Finland and England respectively.
The Republic of Ireland manager will hope that sundry knocks, niggles and fatigue will have been shaken off in time for Tuesday’s session, but he will be without Séamus Coleman, Shane Duffy and Adam Idah for both games after they withdrew from the squad due to injury.
Matt Doherty was among the 10 who trained, the Wolves full-back having been a late call-up along with Southampton’s Ryan Manning and Everton’s Jake O’Brien to replace the injured trio.
Doherty didn’t hide his annoyance at being left out of the squad for October’s games against Finland and Greece, and his mood hardly lightened when he was omitted again this time around. But Hallgrímsson’s assistant John O’Shea waved away any talk of friction between the player and management.
“The boss would have spoken to Matt and it was straightforward,” he said, welcoming Doherty’s return particularly in light of the absence of two such experienced defenders in Coleman and Duffy, as well as Robbie Brady who was ruled out earlier with an ankle injury.
“Matt is one of the elder statesmen and it’s important to have the experience of lads who have been around the group for a long time. It’s a tough one for Shane because he got back in [the squad] and had been playing well, but he has been carrying on with a bit of an issue, which is unfortunate. Losing Séamus and Robbie too, that’s three really experienced players going in to two really important games.”
Coleman’s loss had been anticipated after Everton reported that the Irish captain picked up a “minor hamstring problem” in training last week, but Duffy was in line for his first appearance under Hallgrimsson after a good run of form in Norwich City’s defence. He played the full 90 minutes for them in Saturday’s defeat to Bristol City, but an unspecified injury has forced him out. Idah, meanwhile, suffered an ankle injury in Celtic’s win over Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Like Doherty, who last started a league game for Wolves in August, O’Brien has seen very little action for his club this season since his move from Lyon during the summer, the defender’s last appearance for Everton coming in a League Cup game in mid September. But Manning is having a happier time of it at Southampton of late, starting in their last three league games.
“As soon as we got in touch with Ryan, he was delighted,” said O’Shea. “He’s getting back in at Southampton and getting minutes in the Premier League which is very important.”
Manning’s last outing for Ireland came a year ago in a friendly against New Zealand in Dublin.
Festy Ebosele remains a doubt after he had to be helped off the pitch in Watford’s win over Oxford United on Friday, but O’Shea is “hopeful” that he will be back in training on Tuesday.
“We’ll assess him and see how he goes, but he has been in fantastic form for his club so hopefully we can get him fit and ready for Thursday. It’s that time of the season. There are a lot of games going on at the clubs so we took a very light session [on Monday] – we’ll assess everyone again and see how we are for Tuesday.”
Ebosele’s loss would be particularly frustrating for Hallgrímsson who sang the player’s praises after he came on as a substitute for Chiedozie Ogbene against Finland and Greece last month, his inch-perfect cross creating Robbie Brady’s winner in Helsinki.
The 22-year-old, who is on loan at Watford from Italian side Udinese, would, then, be a contender to start in place of Ogbene who will be out of action for up to 10 months following surgery on a serious Achilles injury. His versatility means he’s also an option in defence and midfield.
On a happier note, O’Shea saluted Caoimhín Kelleher’s form for Liverpool, the Cork man having kept a clean sheet in Saturday’s win over Aston Villa that sent his side five points clear at the top of the Premier League. It was his sixth consecutive start for Liverpool following the hamstring injury sustained by first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker last month.
“It’s just a big boost to the confidence to know that you have a player playing in the Premier League for a club that are comfortably top of the table,” said O’Shea.
“It was an important thing for me in my career, having a ‘keeper you have that confidence in.”