The Football Association of Ireland have confirmed on Saturday that defender Richard Dunne will not be retiring from international football.  

 

The injured Aston Villa man, who has been linked with a move to Stoke City recently, met with Giovanni Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli in Birmingham before Villa's game with Everton.  

 

Yesterday, at a press conference to announce his squad for the upcoming games against Kazakhstan and Oman, Trap said he was 'confident' of Dunne remaining with the team.  

 

It comes as a welcome boost after Damien Duff announced his retirement yesterday, following on from Shay Given also calling it a day.  

 

An official statement from the FAI read: "Giovanni Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli held a positive meeting with Richard Dunne today. Richard reconfirmed that he will be available again for international duty once he makes a full recovery."