Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has played down Roy Keane's absence from the testimonial match for Niall Quinn.
The suggestion before kick-off was that Keane was undergoing treatment for a hamstring strain, ruling him out of the squad which faced Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
But McCarthy said Keane was not injured and that the treatment he is receiving from Manchester United is "preventative".
McCarthy is expecting Keane to link up with the other 22 players in Dublin today and play in Thursday's friendly against Nigeria at Lansdowne Road.
"It suits me fine if Roy is getting treatment from his club before he is released," McCarthy said. "Roy is not injured but he has been having ongoing treatment to help any problems he has had. It's a preventative procedure which he has been having for a long time.
"I didn't think it was appropriate of me to say anything ahead of this game given it was a testimonial for Quinny. I didn't say anything because I knew what would happen with the hype that surrounds Roy.
"People would have been chasing around to see if he had done something to his cruciate or whether he had broken his back, his neck or his skull, but the reality is I expect him to be fit for Thursday," the Irish manager said.
"The important thing for me is that I don't want to get wrapped up in incidentals about him. If he turns up tomorrow and he plays against Cameroon on the 1st of June then I am not bothered".
Keane certainly missed a party as just under 36,000 fans turned out to pay tribute to Quinn, who has served Sunderland for the last six years and represented Ireland since 1986.
Quinn was given a rapturous reception when he emerged from the tunnel before the game and a standing ovation after it, in which he played 23 minutes in a Sunderland shirt in the first half and 13 minutes for the Republic during the second.
Goals from Mark Kennedy, David Connolly and Sunderland winger Kevin Kilbane gave the Republic a 3-0 win.