Midfielder Sean Thornton will miss the upcoming World Youth Championships in the UAE through injury.
The Sunderland player has been struggling with an ankle injury in recent weeks and his condition has not improved sufficiently to travel with manager Gerry Smith's squad.
Thornton was assessed by team doctors Martin Walsh and Ronan O'Callaghan in Dublin this morning where it was agreed he would not be fit for the tournament.
"This is a great disappointment to lose a player of Sean's ability but because of his injury he would not have been fit for our first game," said Smith.
Smith, who has already lost Newcastle's Stephen Brennan (thigh) and Charlton's Adrian Deane (ligaments), hopes to name Thornton's replacement later today.
The Republic's first match in the finals is on Saturday, November 29th against Saudi Arabia. They play the Ivory Coast on December 2nd and Mexico on December 5th.
Smith, who has already lost Newcastle's Stephen Brennan (thigh) and Charlton's Adrian Deane (ligaments),
has named Keith Fahy from St. Patrick's as Thornton's replacement.
Fahy's inclusion brings to six the number of eircom League players manager Gerry Smith has named in his squad of twenty players.
"Trying to make up our minds who we should bring in to take Sean Thornton's place was no easier than the decisions we had to make to find replacements for Stephen Brennan and Adrian Deane who were also forced to pull out because of injury," says Smith.
"But Keith [Fahy] is a good player - they all are, the players we had on standby just had to be as good as those we had in the squad so I am quite happy I have a good replacement for Sean Thornton."
The Republic's first match in the finals is on Saturday, November 29th against Saudi Arabia. They play the Ivory Coast on December 2nd and Mexico on December 5th.
The revised full squad is:
Wayne Henderson (Aston Villa), Brian Murphy (Swansea City), Stephen Paisley (Longford Town), Paddy McCarthy (Manchester City), Stephen Capper (Scarborough), Sean Dillon (Longford Town), John Fitzgerald (Blackburn Rovers), Stephen Kelly (Tottenham Hotspur), Darren Potter (Liverpool), Keith Fahy (St. Patrick's Athletic), David Bell (Rusden and Diamonds), Graham Ward (Kidderminster Harriers), Michael Foley (Liverpool), Liam Kearney (Cork City), Eamonn Zayed (Bray Wanderers), Willo Flood (Manchester City), Jonathon Daly (Stockport County), Kevin Doyle (Cork City), Stephen Elliott (Manchester City), Glenn Whelan (Manchester City).
Manager:Gerry Smith.
Assistant Manager:John McDonnell.