Joey Carbery has returned to Munster from the Rugby World Cup nursing an injury that may rule him out of the opening two rounds of the Heineken European Champions Cup.
The player will not fully return to the squad until next week along with the rest of the international contingent. Munster have given an update on the playmaker's injury status.
Defence coach JP Ferreira said the main priority was to get him and all the Irish internationals fit and ready for the season on their return from the World Cup.
"It has been a tough campaign for the Irish lads, as a World Cup is for any team. So, we’ll slowly integrate them back, see where their mental state is and also their physical state is. And we know Joey has got the injuries so we have to reassess him.
Rehab
Ferreira said “We’ll see them next week and then make an assessment. Obviously the IRFU has got the policies of when they can and can’t play, putting all those things together we’ll then have a plan for each individual.
“We want to pick our best side. If we can we will but there are obviously possibilities that we may not,” he said.
Munster confirmed Carbery is “set to rehab an ankle injury that he was managing throughout the World Cup.”
Carbery picked up the ankle injury in the second half of the World Cup warm-up game against Italy, ruling him out of the rest of the warm-up games.
Despite concerns about his fitness, Joe Schmidt picked the former Leinster out-half.
Carbery made his return on the pitch for Ireland in their pool-stage defeat to Japan, then came off the bench against Samoa and then featuring as a replacement in the loss to New Zealand.
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