Giovanni Trapattoni remains hopeful that Stephen Ireland, Steve Finnan and Andy O'Brien will figure in his plans for the future after meeting the three players today.
Finnan and O'Brien had previously called time on their Republic of Ireland careers while Ireland has been reluctant to end his self-imposed exile.
However, after face-to-face meetings with all three today in Manchester, the new Ireland manager is confident all three could be involved in the upcoming training camp in Portugal.
"I had very good meetings with all three players," Trapattoni said in an FAI statement. "The discussions I have had with them have been very positive and I am confident there is a very good possibility that they will return to play for their country."
The 28-strong squad for the Republic of Ireland's training camp on the Algarve ahead of the matches against Serbia and Colombia on will be announced next Tuesday.
