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Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy is keeping his fingers crossed over teenage striker Aaron Connolly after he suffered an injury barely a week before the crucial Euro 2020 showdown with Denmark.
Connolly's involvement in Brighton's 3-1 Premier League defeat by Manchester United came to a premature conclusion when he limped off at half-time at Old Trafford with a groin problem.
The 19-year-old will undergo a scan on Monday and a decision will be taken after that on whether he can play any part in Thursday night’s friendly against New Zealand in Dublin.
McCarthy said: “Aaron will have a scan on Monday morning. Our medical team have been in contact with Brighton and when we have the results on Monday, we will know more.”
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Connolly made an instant impact on his senior international debut last month when he came off the bench in Georgia and very nearly snatched a win which would have booked Ireland’s place at next summer’s finals.
He was handed a first start in Switzerland three days later on the back of his performance in Tbilisi, but found the going tougher as his side went down 2-0 in Geneva.
That result left them needing to beat the Danes at the Aviva Stadium next Monday evening to qualify automatically, barring a shock result elsewhere.
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