Republic of Ireland manger Mick McCarthy has been handed a big fitness boost ahead of the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers with Shane Duffy passed fit for the games away to Georgia and Switzerland.
The Brighton defender suffered a calf injury two weeks ago but McCarthy says he's received positive news this afternoon from Duffy:
“I’ve just had a text from him saying he’s been given the all-clear this morning,” the Ireland boss told FAI TV.
“He’s trained with the lads at Brighton so he must have done some football work. That’s good news. He’s on a flight this afternoon to travel and he’ll be with us to travel to Georgia tomorrow.
“All along he’s been pretty confident that he’d be okay. It wasn’t as bad as they thought. He’s been running all week and he said he trained with the team this morning, so if he’s done full training he’s fine.”
David McGoldrick has been ruled out Saturday's match against Tbilsi as he's still recovering from hamstring and groin issues.
But McCarthy is hopeful the Sheffield United striker can travel to Geneva next week.
“I spoke to Didsy yesterday and he was still feeling the groin. Saturday is going to be far too soon but if he’s alright and he trains over the weekend, he might still be an option as a sub against Switzerland, maybe not starting after three weeks."
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