Squad named for Argentina friendly

Wigan midfielder James McCarthy has been left out of Giovanni Trapattoni's squad to face Argentina. Photograph: Getty Images

CARL O'MALLEY

Soccer: Giovanni Trapattoni has left nothing to chance ahead of the first senior international at the Lansdowne Road's Aviva Stadium, opting for a near full strength squad for the visit of Argentina on August 11th.

The Italian is likely to have a few withdrawals from the 28-man squad between now and the friendly match but for now all the usual suspects are there.

Goalkeeper Shay Given is included after recovering from a dislocated shoulder, though quite how happy Manchester City will be with that remains to be seen. Trapattoni spoke with Given recently and the Donegal man insisted he wanted to be included. Keiren Westwood and Joe Murphy are in the squad as back up.

City’s young left-back Greg Cunningham is back in the senior set-up after an impressive debut against Algeria prior to the World Cup, while Portsmouth defender Marc Wilson is also included, though he is struggling with an injury. Aiden McGeady, Andy Keogh and Kevin Foley have also to prove their fitness.

Cunningham looks set to take the place of Kevin Kilbane, who is in the squad but unlikely to feature. However, Trapattoni is happy to have him around and feels he still has something to offer the younger generation.

“Kilbane is a great man but we need to look at other options," said the manager today. "He knows our opinion and he says he’s still happy to come with us. Play or no play, he’s happy to be here. That’s important. He can also be a supporter, maybe for Cunningham."

Derby County’s Paul Green was another impressive debutant when he featured against Paraguay and then Algeria, and has been rewarded with a recall, as has Birmingham City midfielder Keith Fahey.

In fact, the pair appear to have played their way in ahead of Wigan Athletic midfielder James McCarthy, who has been omitted after sitting out the pre-summer camp.

“We have a lot of options now, (Glenn) Whelan, (Darron) Gibson, (Keith) Andrews, but also Green and Fahey and we need to see them all play in the team," said Trapattoni. “We can follow McCarthy when he plays again the Premier League."

McCarthy will play in the under-21s game against Estonia the night before the senior side but unlike Cillian Sheridan, he is not expected to join the senior squad the folowing day.

The young Scot, then, would appear to have suffered a similar fate to Andy Reid who, two years ago, struggled to get back into the squad after refusing the opportunity to train with Trapattoni on a end of season camp.

For those involved, it "will be a special occasion" at the new stadium, according to the manager. “The game comes at a crucial time in our preparation for the European Championship qualifying campaign and we must use it to strengthen our squad for the opening qualifiers against Armenia and Andorra in September.”

Argentina have yet to announce their squad because negotiations with manager Diego Maradona and the national football asociation (AFA) over whether he will remain at the helm or not are yet to conclude.

Republic of Ireland squad: Shay Given, Keiren Westwood, Joe Murphy, John O'Shea, Richard Dunne, Sean St Ledger, Greg Cunningham, Kevin Foley, Marc Wilson, Stephen Kelly, Paul McShane, Darren O'Dea, Kevin Kilbane, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Darron Gibson, Paul Green, Liam Lawrence, Aiden McGeady, Andy Keogh, Damien Duff, Keith Fahey, Keith Treacy, Cillian Sheridan, Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle, Caleb Folan, Shane Long

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