Martin O’Neill prepared to ‘nurse’ players before Denmark match

Martin O’Neill says he will have to “nurse” a few of his players through training this week but the Republic of Ireland manager is confident that both Jeff Hendrick and Stephen Ward will be available for Saturday’s first play-off game against Denmark despite sitting out the squad’s first day of training with glute and knee injuries respectively.

James McCarthy, Richard Keogh and Seani Maguire have all been formally ruled out of the two games with injuries while four players – Daryl Horgan, David McGoldrick, Alan Browne and Jonny Hayes – have been placed on standby for the moment.

With David Meyler suspended for the first leg and McCarthy absent through injury, the loss of Hendrick would, were it to happen, further limit O’Neill’s midfield options as he looks to devise a way to contain Christian Eriksen in Copenhagen. But O’Neill suggests that Harry Arter is growing into his role with the Ireland team and does not rule out reuniting him with Glenn Whelan despite the pair having performed poorly when paired with each other in Tbilisi.

“I think Harry and Glenn accepted the fact that we hadn’t played well in the game,” said O’Neill after his squad’s first session of the week in Abbotstown. “Does that mean because I leave those two out [for the Serbia game that followed] that they take the brunt of the criticism? No. I could have left a few out.

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“As a midfield player I have a lot of sympathy for midfield players, particularly if they are trying to close a player down and we are not closing down as a unit. I have empathy and sympathy.

Second chance

“The one thing that’s pretty apparent with the players here is that they’re quite honest with their assessment of the game. This isn’t club level where you’re getting a second chance in seven days. We played twice in three days. We didn’t play well, particularly in the first half, against Georgia. The midfielders wanted to dominate but I think Harry is still finding his feet with us.

“At Bournemouth, particularly in their promotion year and the first year in the Premier League, Harry was a dominant figure around the football club. That wasn’t just on the field but around the club and Harry has still to feel that with us. He’s still feeling his way, he’s a wee bit quiet, but he’s definitely finding his way.”

After a brief exile, the 27-year-old found his way back into the team for the win in Wales where he produced a hugely improved performance and he now seems all but certain to start again against the Danes. James McClean is even more of a banker but O’Neill acknowledged that, as much as he likes the West Brom winger, incidents like the late challenge in Cardiff for which he was booked or the one he attempted on Tom Ince at the weekend continue to generate concerns about his ability to entirely contain his emotions at times.

“I think James needs to get himself right here, just calm down,” he says. “Listen, we have the utmost regard for him, as a person, as a player, the utmost regard. He just needs to cool down, though; get his head right for the game, he’s got a couple of days now to settle down.”

Incidents like the ones in Wales and at the weekend clearly have O’Neill worried that of the 10 Irish players in a position to play on Saturday while on a yellow card, McClean is an obvious candidate to get himself ruled out of the second leg.

“I told you before, was it the Poland game [the 2015 1-1 draw in Dublin], he came on as a sub and even Roy Keane said to him ‘Just be careful’. He acknowledged the fact that he would be careful and 30 seconds later he has just ‘done’ the fella [Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik].

‘The crowd love him’

“But James has said that he has learned from that,” continued O’Neill with a grin. “He’s learned to take longer than 30 seconds before he lamps somebody.”

The manager declined to be drawn too much on the player’s annual spat with what seems like the bulk the British population over his refusal to wear a remembrance poppy, observing simply that “I know where James comes from,” and that, whatever abuse the player is subjected to for his beliefs at grounds around England or on social media, “he knows is that he will come here and the crowd love him. And quite rightly so because of what he has done for the team.”

McGoldrick, O’Neill seemed to suggest, meanwhile, may have taken umbrage after not making the bench for the game against Moldova last month but the Ipswich player remains on standby and the manager said he will speak with him later in the week.

“David’s had a niggling groin,” he said. “I was speaking to him and we’ll see how he is. There’s still room on the plane. We’ll have a look at it anyway. I think he’s a wee bit disappointed not making the bench the last time but, listen, he’s there, he has a bit of a longstanding groin problem and maybe the extra couple of days for him will help. I said I’d give him a shout on Thursday, see how he is.”

Revised Ireland squad: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Rob Elliot (Newcastle United), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Colin Doyle (Bradford City), Cyrus Christie (Middlesbrough), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Paul McShane (Reading), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Kevin Long, Stephen Ward (Burnley), Aiden McGeady (Sunderland), Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady (Burnley), Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), David Meyler (Hull City), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion), Shane Long (Southampton), Daryl Murphy (Nottingham Forest), Scott Hogan (Aston Villa), Aiden O'Brien (Millwall)