Niall Quinn was the weekend's main casualty among the Irish players due to take part in Wednesday's international against the United States, with the Sunderland striker forced to withdraw from the squad due to a neck injury.
Niall Quinn was the weekend's main casualty among the Irish players due to take part in Wednesday's international against the United States, with the Sunderland striker forced to withdraw from the squad due to a neck injury.
The 35-year-old Dubliner played all 90 minutes of Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Liverpool, but was apparently in considerable discomfort through the latter part of the game and subsequently informed the Republic's management team that he would be unable to travel.
His absence this week means his testimonial game at the Stadium of Light next month, when his club side are due to take on the Republic in a benefit game for two children's hospitals, is likely to be the next time he is involved with Mick McCarthy's squad.
In the meantime, it may open the door to Gary Doherty, the versatile Spurs player who finally returned to first-team football over the weekend after six months out due to a broken leg.
Doherty seemed to be firmly established as a member of McCarthy's panel when he picked up the injury, but his repeatedly delayed return at White Hart Lane looked to have wrecked his hopes of making the Irish travelling party of 23 players for the World Cup.
With Richard Sadlier and now Quinn out of the reckoning for Wednesday's friendly, however, McCarthy may well be tempted to give Doherty the opportunity to fulfil the target man's role normally performed by the veteran Dubliner.
Other players carrying minor injuries after the weekend included Richard Dunne - who stayed on in Manchester to have treatment on a hamstring problem, but who is expected to travel over the next 24 hours - as well as Steve Staunton, Clinton Morrison and Kevin Kilbane.
Staunton and Co all joined the squad but skipped yesterday's training session to rest what were described as "minor knocks", none of which are expected to hinder McCarthy when it comes time for him to make his team selection.
Fourteen players did take part in yesterday's run-out, which was overseen by McCarthy's assistant Ian Evans. The manager himself was in London for last night's PFA dinner, where he was joined by Quinn and the Sunderland striker's team-mate, Shay Given of Newcastle.
Evans said that he was pleased with the way the session had gone and remarked: "We'll see how things are when everybody has arrived before making any decision on whether to call anybody in."
One early boost, though, was the reported fitness of Coventry City centre half Gary Breen, who had looked to be a major doubt after missing Coventry's game against Millwall on Friday. The defender's fitness means that even if McCarthy decides against drafting in replacements, he should have 22 of the 24 players originally named in his squad available for selection.
Meanwhile, FAI general secretary Brendan Menton has played down the significance of the decision of GAA Congress over the weekend to prevent other sports from being played at Croke Park for the immediate future.
"We've said very little about this issue in the past and are not going to change that now. What we have always said is that the National Stadium simply has to be built, and we're not the only sporting organisation that feels that way."
Menton said that the GAA's decision would have little effect on Ireland's joint bid along with Scotland to host the European championships in 2008.
"It removes one of the options but the reality is that it was never an option that we're interested in pursuing anyway. If you look back at what has been said in the past, the Government stated that it was fully supportive of our bid, and our bid requires two stadiums.
"We are quite happy to proceed on that basis and our preference was always to use Lansdowne Road and the new National Stadium."
