Updated 15.40
DAVID MEYLER IS out of Ireland’s international friendly with Poland on Wednesday night.
Meyler didn’t train when Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad gathered in Malahide yesterday and returned home this morning, assistant manager Marco Tardelli confirmed.
The midfielder scored the only goal in Hull City’s 1-0 win at Millwall on Saturday but came off with a knee injury in the second half.
Everton midfielder Darron Gibson was contacted by Trapattoni this morning and invited to join the squad in Meyler’s place but turned down the offer, saying he isn’t fully fit. Gibson made his first start for over a month in Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Aston Villa and is currently in Malaga for a club training camp, Tardelli said.
“He would prefer to stay at home because he’s not available,” he said. “He had a little problem after the match.”
Gibson made himself unavailable for Ireland duty after a Euro 2012 campaign in which he saw no game time. Despite this overture from the management, it remains unclear if and when he will return to international action.
Asked if a fit Gibson would be included in the squad for next month’s qualification double bill against Sweden and Austria, Tardelli indicated that it was a possibility.
But when pressed if Gibson had explicitly made himself available during this morning’s phone call, the Italian said he had not.
“When we need a player and the player wants to come on the Irish team, we are very happy. I don’t understand why this problem exists. It’s not my problem. It’s not Gibson’s problem.
He added: “He didn’t say so but it’s no problem for us [or] for him.”
A decision will be made on whether or not to replace Meyler this afternoon.
With Trapattoni ready to name his team tomorrow, Shane Long and Ciaran Clark both sat out this morning’s session in Malahide. Long was allowed to rest after he played the full 90 minutes for West Brom against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday while Clark has a “little problem” with his knee, Tardelli said, and is expected to train tomorrow.
David Forde is likely to start the game in goal for Ireland, Trapattoni has indicated.
– Additional reporting by Adrian Russell
