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Out in the Cold

McCarthy dropped ahead of crunch Euro qualifiers

Trap trims his squad to just 25 players ahead of game against Slovakia next Friday.

WIGAN ATHLETIC MIDFIELDER James McCarthy was the surprise omission as Giovanni Trapattoni picked his final 25-man squad ahead of next month’s Euro 2012 qualifiers.

The 20-year-old was originally named in the manager’s extended panel for the games against Slovakia and Russia, but has now been made available to U21 boss Noel King instead.

Ciaran Clark, Damien Delaney, Marc Wilson and Jon Walters have also been left out, while Paul McShane and Seamus Coleman are absent through injury.

Although McCarthy didn’t feature in the recent friendly draw against Croatia, Trapattoni’s decision to omit both him and Wilson will be seen by some as a snub to players with whom the manager has had very public disagreements in recent months.

McCarthy was at the centre of a high-profile breakdown in communications between player, club, and country when a row erupted over his fitness for the final Carling Nations Cup fixtures in May.

The youngster’s absence came just two months after a long-running will-he-or-won’t-he-saga surrounding his international declaration was finally put to bed in March.

Wilson, who made his international debut earlier this year, was also targeted by a furious Trapattoni after he withdrew from June’s friendly against Italy with an injury.

Again, the Italian felt that he had not been kept in the loop regarding Wilson’s availability, saying that if players “are in hospital or they are dead, that is okay, but if there is an injury they should see our doctor.”

Both Wilson and Stoke team-mate Walters subsequently failed to report for international duty ahead of the friendly against Croatia earlier this month, again citing injuries.

The Irish squad will meet up early next week ahead of the game against Slovakia on 2 September, before travelling to Moscow to face Russia on 6 September.

Republic of Ireland squad: Given, Westwood, Forde; O’Shea, Foley, Kelly, Ward, Dunne, Kilbane, St Ledger, O’Dea; Whelan, Gibson, Andrews, Fahey, Keogh, Duff, McGeady, Hunt, Lawrence, Treacy; Keane, Doyle, Long, Cox.

READ - McCarthy commits his future to Wigan >

READ - Mourinho considers future; faces possible 12-game ban >

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