JEFF HENDRICK HAS been ruled out of Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Austria.
The Derby County midfielder was part of Giovanni Trapattoni’s extended squad for the make-or-break qualifiers in Dublin and Vienna.
But the FAI confirmed this afternoon that he has withdrawn with an ankle injury.
Hendrick, 21, limped off during the Rams’ win against Yeovil at the weekend and then missed last night’s 5-0 win over Brentford in the Capital One Cup.
Derby manager Nigel Clough confirmed that he is due to see a specialist on Friday to assess the injury and set a timetable for his recovery.
Hendrick’s absence means that Trap will now only have to cut five players from the initial panel of 29 he named on Sunday.
“There are no plans at present to add a replacement,” the FAI said in a short statement today.
