WEST BROM STRIKER Shane Long has been given permission to rejoin his club ahead of Ireland’s likely decisive clash with Russia next week.
Long, who had been enjoying a spell of fine form for both club and country in recent months, was a last-minute exclusion from the team selected to face Slovakia at the Aviva Stadium last night after sustaining a calf injury in training.
That same injury now looks to have put paid to the striker’s hopes of at least travelling with the squad to Russia.
In a statement released earlier today, the FAI announced that it had “no plans to call up any players in his absence yet.”