Brady in as scan confirms Doyle absence

Robbie Brady has been given the call to join up with the Republic of Ireland squad in Portmarnock on Monday after Kevin Doyle, as expected, was ruled out with a thigh injury this morning.

The Wolves striker, who scored the late winner in last month’s disappointing Kazakhstan World Cup qualifier, strained his leg in training yesterday morning, with  manager Stale Solbakken saying he would be ‘definitely out’. Despite the Wexford man remaining optimistic of his chances to be in the squad for next week’s games against Germany and Faroe Islands, a scan this morning confirmed the bad news.

A press release from the FAI said that the scan ‘showed clear signs of a muscle injury that will rule the player out’, with Brady coming in instead after he had initially been placed on standby.

The highly rated Manchester United youngster made an impressive international debut in the recent friendly with Oman in London and though not likely to play, his inclusion will be a huge boost for the 20-year-old Dubliner after also making his senior debut for United in the Capital One Cup win over Newcastle United recently.