Robbie Keane's Euro spot in doubt

Calf injury rules Irish skipper out of final friendly as squad D-Day looms

Ireland captain Robbie Keane sits out training in Turner's Cross yesterday as his Euro 2016 hopes hang in the balance Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Daniel McDonnell

Robbie Keane will have to convince the Irish medical team that he will be fully fit for the European Championships before Martin O’Neill names his squad after tonight’s friendly with Belarus.

The Ireland skipper is out of the game in Cork and a doubt for the finals due to a calf injury that he sustained in training on Saturday.

Keane hobbled into training in Turner’s Cross yesterday, but has told the manager he is hopeful and said as much when approached by the press on his way to the dressing room.

However, with question marks hanging over the well-being of other squad members, including another striker Daryl Murphy, O’Neill will have to weigh up all his options.

“We will see how the injection settles down,” he said. “Robbie, obviously, would have been coming with us as the captain of the side. So we’ll see how he is again.”

Harry Arter stopped training because of a fresh thigh issue while James McCarthy worked on his own. O’Neill will look to his squad for honest feedback before getting the final word from Dr Alan Byrne and submitting his squad ahead of UEFA’s 11pm deadline.

“You have to put some trust in players and while everyone wants to play, I don’t think anyone would fool themselves,” he said. “I think once the game is over, once the players get some sort of OK from Alan the doctor, then I should be able to submit it.”