Kerr hasn't given up on Finnan

Despite reports that the player himself did not expect to be fit for Ireland's European Championship qualifying games against Georgia and Albania, Brian Kerr remained optimistic yesterday that Steve Finnan would yet play some part in Kerr's first competitive matches as Republic manager.

Finnan discovered on Tuesday that an injury picked up 10 days earlier in a friendly game against West Ham was a cracked rib, and he has not been able to train since due to the pain.

On Wednesday, he was quoted on his website as saying, "it's almost certain that I'll be out of the Republic of Ireland's upcoming Euro 2004 qualifiers". He is also set to sit out Fulham's game this weekend at Old Trafford.

But Kerr says he talked to the 26-year-old defender on Wednesday evening and the player "was not ruling himself out".

Kerr says the question of Finnan's availability is likely to be sorted out between the medical teams in the Fulham and Ireland camps over the next couple of days.

"Ciarán (Murray) and Martin Walsh are hoping to talk to their doctors. I'll let them talk it out between themselves and then take my lead from what they say.

"Ciarán says it's an injury that takes a while to clear up, although it varies a bit from play to player. But by next Saturday it will have been three weeks since he got the knock so I'd still be hopeful. If he was to be fit for the second game I think we might well take him."

The loss of Finnan would come as a blow to Kerr who had hoped to use the Fulham full-back as part of a reshaped Irish back four.

In Scotland, the manager's intention had been to play him at left back in place of Ian Harte, but on that occasion a bout of flu led to the Limerickman being rested.

Gary Kelly and Jason McAteer are other sources of concern for the Ireland boss as the weekend's programme of matches approaches, with the fitness of the Leeds defender of particular interest in the light of Finnan's problems.

"Gary's missed the last couple of games with hamstring and shin splint problems, and Jason's had a hamstring, but there's not much we can do except hang on and hope they recover.

"I hope to get along to the game between West Ham and Sunderland, so even if Jason doesn't get to play I should at least get a chance to talk to him afterwards and get an idea of how he is."