THE FAI HAVE moved to quell speculation that Giovanni Trapattoni is set to exclude both James McClean and James McCarthy from his Euro 2012 squad.
In a recent press conference, the Ireland manager seemed to suggest that both players were “too young” to play in a major international tournament, indicating more experienced players were likely to be selected ahead of the promising duo.
However, the FAI have taken the step of issuing a statement, playing down rumours that the Italian has already made a definitive judgement on his Euro 2012 squad.
The statement read:
“Following a review of coverage in today’s papers, Giovanni Trapattoni was keen to counter some very strong speculation about omissions from the Irish squad travelling to Euro 2012. Giovanni felt that it is important to highlight that nothing has been set in stone as regards his selections, and he will continue to monitor all players during the coming months.”
McClean made his Ireland debut last Wednesday, while McCarthy was ominously left on the bench for the game.
Trapattoni has until May 29 to decide on his final 23-man squad for the tournament.