Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton is hopeful that Shay Given will play some part in next month's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Cyprus and the Czech Republic.
Staunton, who is due to announce his squad for the matches next week, said that he doesn't yet have a definite timescale for Given's recovery.
Given underwent surgery to repair a tear in his stomach earlier today.
The Newcastle star suffered abdominal pains following a collision with West Ham substitute Marlon Harewood during the Magpies 2-0 win yesterday.
"We always want to plan European Championship qualifying matches with all our key players fully fit and available and it would be a real disappointment if Shay is ruled out of the Cyprus game next month," said Staunton.
"Shay is a world class keeper and has great presence about the squad - he's a leader by nature and any squad would miss his qualities. Shay is normally a quick healer and all we can do for the moment is monitor the situation closely over the coming days." he added.
