Time running out for Ireland's return

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI insisted yesterday the door is still open to Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland if the 22-year-old decides he wants to end his international exile but, the veteran Italian insisted, the player would not be allowed to play at next year’s World Cup finals if the current squad qualified for the tournament without him.

“Maybe when he says he wants to come back things will change,” observed Trapattoni yesterday morning. “But obviously if we qualify with this group then, out of respect for these players, he cannot say at the last minute that he is available. Before then, he has to show his Irishness, his willingness to play for Ireland.”

The comments represent the first time the manager has set any sort of deadline for Ireland’s return but he gave a clear sense he would welcome having the Corkman available to him.

While going out of his way to insist he is not excluding anyone from his plans, however, he was far cooler about the prospect of any sort of return for Andy Reid or Lee Carsley, neither of whom has seen any international action since Trapattoni’s appointment last spring.

“You keep going on about certain players,” he said to journalists in what was a clear reference to the pair, “but it’s not as if when those certain players were being selected the team was winning.”

Trapattoni said the pair might be called upon at a future date but he preferred to dwell yesterday on some of those who featured prominently in the hard-won victory over Georgia on Wednesday night, particularly those who have been thrust centre stage in the absence of bigger names.

“(Glenn) Whelan and (Keith) Andrews were very important players. In the past, Whelan did not play in the national team, neither did Andrews but now they are in the team and at the moment we are at the top of the table so I am very happy for them.

“Of course, we wait for Steven Reid and Stephen Ireland and other players. Never say never,” he added, “there is still a long way to go in the campaign but even while we wait we have a good situation to go away in the qualifiers.”

The coach admitted that his side had been lucky to be awarded the second-half penalty from which Robbie Keane drew them level with the visitors but he praised the coolness with which the striker had converted both the spot-kick and his subsequent headed goal.

Kevin Doyle was also singled out for attention after another night of tireless work for the cause before Trapattoni turned his attention to the impact made by Aiden McGeady in this, his 23rd appearance for his country.

“He always needs always confidence and belief but his potential is very good,” he said. “He has qualities that very few players in the world have.

“He can shoot with the left and the right. He is fast. And with a little bit more experience, he will make better decision about what to do when he has the ball. For now, he needs to play, play, play.

“He is young enough,” he continued, “and it’s a pity that I have so little time with the players because when you have them every day, you can take 30 minutes to improve particular players.

“But McGeady can grow in the game by taking a little bit from every coach he works with. Gordon Strachan gives him one situation, Don Givens him other situation and I give him another. I had four or five coaches, I learned this from that coach, that from another and so on.

“Already, he has become a very important player but there is no doubt that he can improve a lot more.”