SOCCER: As 21-year-old Alan O'Brien came from almost nowhere to claim a place in Steve Staunton's squad for next week's friendly international against the Netherlands in Dublin, Gary Breen quietly drew the curtain on 10 years of international football yesterday when the Ireland manager passed on the news that the 32-year-old had decided to retire.

Breen had made his debut for the Republic in the summer of 1996 and in the intervening decade won 63 caps, scoring seven goals.

His best performances came during the 2002 World Cup qualification campaign and at the tournament itself, but he rarely figured under Brian Kerr, and Staunton admitted yesterday his decision to depart the scene was far from unexpected.

"He'd been thinking long and hard about it, but said he'd be happy enough to come in for the first few games after I took over.

"He'll be missed, but it's something really that I knew to expect when I came in and there are a few other options there."

As the Wolves defender called it a day, the return of Steve Carr was confirmed, with the 29-year-old Newcastle defender included in the panel for next week's game after, having talked with Bobby Robson, he reversed his decision to retire.

"It didn't take too much work really because Bobby had signed him for Newcastle and he had that bit of an in with him," said Staunton.

Added to the St James' Park contingent in the squad, meanwhile, is young winger Alan O'Brien, who has featured in fewer than a dozen first-team games since moving to England from St Joseph's Boys in Dún Laoghaire - most of those coming during a loan spell at Carlisle United at the start of last season.

Staunton put his inclusion down to positive feedback from the other Irish players at the club and a report from Ireland B manager Pat Devlin, who has seen him play on a number of occasions during Newcastle's pre-season.

Devlin, in fact, was instrumental in the player's move from Ireland to the northeast of England, as he has been in quite a number of such transfers, but Staunton said that the former Bray Wanderers boss was no longer involved in advising the midfielder and that the decision to include him in the squad had been entirely his own.

"The lad is not in purely on the say so of Pat, he's in on merit," said Staunton. "There's no conflict of interest here, Pat's still involved with Duffer - he wanted to stick with him because he had him all the way through - but he's taken a back seat on the rest of it (advising players) since he took this job.

"O'Brien," Staunton observed, "has frightening pace" and should, he hopes, make considerable progress over the coming months.

Terry Dixon, meanwhile, retains his place on the basis of his performance while with the squad at the warm-weather training camp in May when he persuaded the Ireland manager that he is "above any 16-year-old in Ireland or England".

Of those more likely to contribute to the team's fortunes in the short term, Andy Reid misses out on this occasion with an ankle injury, while Bolton's Joey O'Brien is still working on regaining his fitness.

Staunton said he was not aware of Reid's prognosis at this stage, but said he was hopeful the Tottenham winger would be available for the trip to Stuttgart where Ireland will play their first European Championship qualifier at the start of September.

Omitted for other reasons are Gary Doherty, Mark Kennedy and David Connolly. Leicester City captain Paddy McCarthy has also been passed over on this occasion with Staunton observing that he is not quite ready to make the step up to international football quite yet. "We'll be watching how he does for his club over the coming season," he says.

Sunderland striker Daryl Murphy, he said, is another player who may be included in the near future, but Jason Byrne appears to have slipped back in the pecking order again despite his outstanding form for Shelbourne.

Most of those on the periphery of the squad, Staunton said, will get a chance to impress in B internationals being organised for the autumn.

Details will be confirmed in the coming weeks, but it has been reported Ireland may send a team to an invitation tournament in Portugal.

"When we get the B international going, which should be in the next couple of months, we'll have a proper look at all the players."

Staunton said he would be selecting the squad for those games after which "I'll leave Pat to get on with it".