Ankle surgery looks likely to rule Shane Long out of Ireland double-header

Shane Long looks set to miss out on the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming friendly with Northern Ireland and UEFA Nations League clash with Denmark to undergo a procedure on his ankle.

The Tipperary man was omitted from the Southampton squad that drew 1-1 with Watford on Saturday and manager confirmed he aggravated an ongoing injury in training on Friday.

He looks set to miss two weeks if the operation goes ahead, but could miss up to six depending on the severity of the issue.

"He might need a small procedure on his ankle to address that problem he had had for some time," the Welshman told reporters after the game.

"If he does have the procedure, and it's not confirmed as yet, it could be a little bit of washout to free out the ankle. That would be two weeks maybe.

"If it's a little bit more significant it could be four to six weeks."

Should the 31-year-old go under the knife, he will miss the games with Northern Ireland at Lansdowne Road and Denmark in Aarhus.

That would leave Martin O’Neill with the choice of Michael Obafemi, Scott Hogan, Sean Maguire, Callum Robinson, Aiden O'Brien and Ronan Curtis when he makes the final cut next week.