Blues striker David McGoldrick has been named in the finalised Republic of Ireland squad for their crucial World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Wales, despite suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Bristol City.
The Ireland squad met up this morning with manager Martin O’Neill and his assistant, former Town boss Roy Keane, reducing their squad from 32 to 30 with Sheffield Wednesday keeper Keiren Westwood, who has a rib injury, and Colorado Rapids striker Kevin Doyle, who announced his retirement last week, dropping out.
According to the FAI, a number of other players are carrying knocks, McGoldrick among them, and will be assessed by their medical team.
Speaking after Saturday’s game manager Mick McCarthy admitted his concerns regarding the 29-year-old's fitness, the striker having been forced off in the 66th minute.
He said McGoldrick, like Tom Adeyemi, who suffered a hamstring problem of his own during the warm-up ahead of Saturday's match, would undergo a scan before he travelled to Ireland.
"The last thing I need is for him to go over and train or do anything and get injured,” the Blues boss said. "We want him fit. As you know we can’t afford any more injuries, certainly not to him, the way he’s been playing.”
The two games are a big chance for McGoldrick, who has previously been capped six times without scoring, to make his mark with Ireland and McCarthy says it would be a blow for the striker to miss out: "Yes it is, but he’s got to be fit.”
Ireland face the Moldovans at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday 6th October and three days later travel to Cardiff to take on the Welsh.
McGoldrick and his team-mates will be looking to secure all six points as they aim for at least second spot in Group D and a place in the play-offs alongside seven other runners-up to determine who goes forward to the final stages in Russia next summer.
Speaking about the fixtures last month, McGoldrick said: "The games against Moldova and Wales are massive, Ireland’s biggest in a long time, and we need to get something from them — preferably two wins. I missed out on the Euros last year and I’d love to be going to Russia next year.
"But I know I’ve got to be fit and firing if I’m going to have any chance of making the squad. In the meantime I want to help them get the results they need against Moldova and Wales. After I couldn’t be involved in the Georgia and Serbia games [as his partner was giving birth to their fourth child] it would mean a lot to me.”
Former Blues Daryl Murphy and Conor Hourihane are also included in the squad but Jon Walters is ruled out with a knee injury.
Republic of Ireland: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Rob Elliot (Newcastle United), Colin Doyle (Bradford City), Cyrus Christie (Middlesbrough), Richard Keogh (Derby County), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Kevin Long, Stephen Ward (Burnley), Aiden McGeady (Sunderland), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion), Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady (Burnley), James McCarthy (Everton), David Meyler (Hull City), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Jonathan Hayes (Celtic), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), Daryl Horgan (Preston North End), Shane Long (Southampton), Daryl Murphy (Nottingham Forest), David McGoldrick (Ipswich Town), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Scott Hogan (Aston Villa), Aiden O'Brien (Millwall).