Soccer: James McCarthy has been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the friendly international against Croatia on August 10th. The Wigan Athletic midfielder put his international future in doubt when he did not turn up for the inaugural Carling Nations Cup in May.

Darron Gibson and Marc Wilson have also been included in the squad by manager Giovanni Trapattoni, despite missing the last five games for the national team under similar circumstances.

Celtic striker Anthony Stokes, who pulled out of that squad citing fatigue, has been omitted from the extended 32-man selection. His future under the Italian looks as bleak as ever.

Trapattoni today made it perfectly clear he is no longer willing to tolerate the "bad manners" displayed by some of his players in May.

“They must tell us whether they want to come or stay at home," the Italian insisted today. "We do not wish to be made fun of or be the victims of bad manners. This has never happened to me in any other country in which I worked. If they are injured in a game for their club that’s fine, but they must tell us immediately after the game”.

In May, McCarthy did no return FAI calls to confirm whether or not he would be joining up with the squad and the manager was only informed he would be absent when Wigan contacted the FAI medical team 36 hours before the first game against Northern Ireland.

Relations between the Irish management and the club soured further when the FAI claimed the player's ankle injury was not reason enough for him to withdraw.

After being named in the team to face the North, Stoke City’s Wilson was also a no-show, while Gibson failed to give adequate notice of his intention not to turn up after Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Barcelona.

Leon Best and Caleb Folan were also left out of today's squad, with the manager opting for captain Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle, Jon Walters, Shane Long and Simon Cox as his striking options ahead of competitive fixtures against Slovakia and Russia in September.

Trapattoni is pleased a number of his players have made moves which will see regular first-team football. Speaking of John O’Shea’s transfer to Sunderland the 72-year-old declared: “If he plays it is good for me. I know he played at Manchester but he will play more (at Sunderland)."

The Italian was instrumental in Seán St Ledger’s move to Leicester City from Preston North End, it seems, and he doesn’t want to be let down.

“(Sven Goran) Eriksson called me and asked me what I thought about him. I told him he can be very competent, for me he is a good player and a good man.

“Now I say to Sean ‘you must prove what I say about you is true’.”

Rep of Ireland squad (v Croatia)

Goalkeepers: Given, Forde, Westwood

Defenders: McShane, Foley, Coleman, Dunne, O'Shea, Kelly, Ward, St Ledger, O'Dea, Delaney, Clarke, Kilbane.

Midfielders: Whelan, Gibson, Andrews, Fahey, Keogh, Mcgeady, Duff, Hunt, Lawrence, Mccarthy, Treacy, Wilson

Forwards: Keane, Doyle, Walters, Long, Cox.