Whelan & Walters sit out Ireland training session

More or less a full squad turned out for the Republic of Ireland’s first training session of the week in Malahide ahead of the crucial upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Sweden and Austria.

The Stoke City duo of Glenn Whelan and Jonathan Walters were the main cause of concern as respective ankle and back injuries saw them sit out this morning’s session, but the pair are expected to recover in time for the mammoth clash against Sweden in Solna on Friday.

Elsewhere, John O’Shea, James McCarthy and David Forde, who is being tipped as a potential starter for Friday’s game, retired early from training due to fatigue following the weekend’s action but are expected to play a full part tomorrow, while captain Robbie Keane will arrive on Tuesday to complete the squad after LA Galaxy’s draw with Chivas on Sunday.

Reading right back Stephen Kelly appears to have buried the hatchet with the management team as he participated in his first training session since manager Giovanni Trapattoni's remarkable outburst last month, and the enigmatic Italian is confident that his team has enough defensive strength in depth to compensate for talismanic centre half Richard Dunne’s continued absence.

“We have alternatives, [Ciarán] Clarke is in good condition, [Sean] St. Ledger and [Darren] O’Dea also, so we have many options,” said Trapattoni, who celebrated his 74th birthday yesterday.

Asked about how they will combat the attacking threat posed by Swedish hitman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Ireland boss simply replied that “Whelan & Walters sit out Ireland training session”, while also affirming that his side won’t be attempting to man-mark the PSG striker out of the game.

When called on to justify the exclusion of stalwart forward Kevin Doyle, who remains on the standby list, Trapatonni stressed that an abundance of good striking options elsewhere are what’s keeping the Wolves player in the dark.

“Maybe in the future he [Doyle] is coming again but at this moment there are other good options. At this moment he isn’t in as good condition as other strikers who have more enthusiasmos and are in a better situation,” said Trap.

Finally, with many concerned about Sweden’s attacking capabilities in light of Ireland’s mauling at the hands of Germany last October, the former Juventus and AC Milan supremo was emphatic when queried about his side’s approach to the tie.

“We will always go on the pitch with the right team to win. After this if the draw comes away, we are also happy.”