The FAI confirmed yesterday Brian Kerr expects to be without both Roy Keane and Matt Holland for the opening games of the World Cup campaign against Cyprus and Switzerland on Saturday and Wednesday week respectively.
Little detail was given in a brief statement issued last night by the association and no mention was made of the suggestion in a statement made last week that Kerr's medical staff would be getting in touch with Manchester United regarding the fitness of Keane, who is said by his club to have suffered a couple of cracked ribs in the game against Chelsea three weeks ago.
Instead, it is merely conceded the pair are "unlikely to be fit as they did not feature for their clubs over the weekend". Alan Curbishley, in fact, made it clear after Charlton's 4-0 defeat by Manchester City on Saturday that Holland would miss the Ireland games.
"Matt has not made the progress we expected him to and at this point his ankle is still very sore," he said. "He's desperately disappointed for I know how much he wants to play in the World Cup games."
Manchester United added nothing to the comments from Alex Ferguson in midweek on MUTV to the effect that Keane would be out for three weeks.
There was at least better news on other fronts for the Ireland manager with Robbie Keane making his first start of the new season for Spurs and both Damien Duff and Clinton Morrison coming on as second-half substitutes for Chelsea and Birmingham City respectively.
Duff, of course, had already proven his fitness as far as Kerr was concerned but there will nevertheless be relief to see him featuring in Jose Mourinho's first team. Keane and Morrison, meanwhile, both appear to have come through Saturday's game at White Hart Lane without suffering any ill effects.
With 22 of the 24 players he named last week still reckoned to be fit this morning, Kerr has held off on naming any replacements for the moment although with just about half the squad involved in games either today or tomorrow it remains possible that a number of people will be added to the panel.
There was renewed speculation in Britain yesterday that Manchester United's John O'Shea, will be the subject of a €10 million bid from Newcastle United if Wayne Rooney moves to Old Trafford rather than St James' Park. Meanwhile, the influential Swiss attacking midfielder Hakin Yakin is set to sign for Rangers from Stuttgart before close of business tomorrow.
The French Football Federation is due to start selling tickets for October's World Cup qualifier against Ireland in Paris this morning. Tickets can be made through various French retailers or from the association's website (www.fff.fr).
Bohemians travel to Flancare Park tonight to take on Longford Town in the League Cup final.
