Doyle in with a shout for Sofia

SOCCER IRELAND SQUAD: GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has included Kevin Doyle in his 25-man Republic of Ireland squad for Friday week's friendly against Nigeria in London and the World Cup qualifying game away to Bulgaria eight days later.

The Reading striker, who damaged a calf muscle in his club’s play-off semi-final against Burnley 10 days ago, remains a serious doubt for both games, however, with Trapattoni stressing that no risks would be taken with the player’s fitness.

“Only if we are 100 per cent sure will he play,” said the Italian. “This is a dangerous injury, I had it myself as a player, so we will not run the risk of making it worse because he is an extremely important player for us.”

Initially Doyle had been ruled out of action for a month by Reading but, last Friday, the club physio Jon Fearn confirmed a scan had shown no damage to the striker’s Achilles tendon, which had been the original fear, reviving Doyle’s hopes of recovering in time to play in Sofia on June 6th.

After returning to training this week he will have a second scan on the injury – if it is clear he would be available for the Bulgaria game, although unlikely to be risked against Nigeria.

Trapattoni, meanwhile, has called up uncapped Preston North End defenders Sean St Ledger and Eddie Nolan, Stoke City winger Liam Lawrence and Coventry City striker Leon Best, with Alex Bruce, Damien Delaney, Noel Hunt and, once again, Andy Reid among those to miss out.

As a highly-rated teenager at Southampton, Nottingham-born Best, whose mother is from Ireland, was called up to the England under-20 squad in 2005 but has since committed himself to the Republic of Ireland, featuring in Don Givens’ under-21 side. The 22-year-old joined Coventry two seasons ago, after loan spells at four clubs, scoring twice in 16 league starts in the campaign just ended.

Lawrence was first called up to the Ireland squad by Steve Staunton three years ago, when he was at Sunderland, but the 27-year-old, who made a significant contribution to Stoke’s relegation-avoiding Premier League season, has yet to win a cap.

St Ledger, too, was brought into the senior squad by Staunton, while Nolan, who captained Ireland at under-21 level, returns to the panel after being included for February’s game against Georgia.

Curiously, when asked why he had not called up Scottish Young Player of the Year James McCarthy, Trapattoni, who hinted that the Hamilton Academicals’ midfielder might feature in August and September’s friendlies against Australia and South Africa, turned his attention, unprompted, to another absentee from the squad.

“At the moment, I’m still waiting for Ireland, Stephen Ireland,” he smiled.

Had he, he was asked, any intention of taking Roy Keane’s advice to sleep outside Ireland’s house to persuade the player to return to the international fold?

“I say ‘thanks, Roy’,” he laughed. “I pray Roy give you near the door of Steve,” he said, at which point his interpreter stepped in to help. “Maybe Roy helps me? If he wants to go and sleep outside his house to help me, to convince him? I don’t know.Maybe he (Ireland) will review it in his head.”

But is he now out of the World Cup qualifying campaign? “No. Why? We have 12 or 13 months, we have the time. Maybe in the summer, near the sea, he will think about it. But he must decide. I think he’s a little bit shy. At this moment (he says), ‘I am happy, I stay at home with my family’ – that’s okay, it’s his decision, not mine.”

Trapattoni, meanwhile, indicated he wishes to remain in his role as Republic of Ireland manager beyond the completion of his two-year contract in May of next year. “Our opinion, mine and Marco (Tardelli, his assistant), is we are proud to be managing and coaching Ireland. We would be very happy to be able to continue this work, we don’t want to leave it halfway, half done and not finished. I think we’ve done a good job so far – we haven’t excelled, there’s more to do, we can do better.”

A lot done, then, but more to do.