Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr will hope Gary Breen's agent's confidence in the likelihood of his client being fit for the October 11th Euro 2004 qualifier against Switzerland is well founded.
"He will be fit for that game," insisted Sky Andrew yesterday, "the reports that he'll miss it just aren't right."
A Sunderland spokeswoman also dismissed talk of the defender "definitely" being ruled out of the trip to Basle. "That's just newspaper speculation," she said, "it's too early to say anything like that at this stage. He's only just had the injury so there's no way of telling how long he'll be out. October 11th is a good bit away."
Breen was replaced at half-time in Sunderland's 3-1 defeat at Stoke City on Tuesday night after suffering a groin strain, with his club manager Mick McCarthy admitting "perhaps we should have taken him off earlier".
The club later announced he would face "a maximum of three weeks on the sidelines", which could mean that Breen's prospects of linking up with the Irish squad are touch and go. Sunderland play Sheffield United on October 4th, two days short of that three-week deadline, a game Breen would probably have to appear in if he is to be released for international duty.
Allied to the unavailability through suspension of captain Kenny Cunningham for the Switzerland game, Breen's absence would result in Kerr having to create an all-new central defensive pairing, with John O'Shea, Andy O'Brien and Richard Dunne the main contenders for the two places.
O'Shea, though, is still a relative novice in the centre of defence in senior football, although he has played there in three of his last four appearances for Manchester United - with three different partners (Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre).
Dunne, though, has made just one first-team appearance for Manchester City all season, in a UEFA Cup tie, and, ironically, has been persistently linked with a move to Sunderland, where he would renew acquaintances with Breen.
Phil Babb, who might have hoped to benefit from Breen's woe, by winning back a place in the Sunderland defence, also picked up a groin strain in a reserve game against Birmingham during the week.
Newcastle, meanwhile, expect Shay Given to be available for tomorrow's game against Bolton, despite the goalkeeper being troubled by a swollen knee.
With a UEFA Cup tie against NAC Breda and a league fixture against Arsenal coming up next week, the club's medical staff will monitor the state of his knee closely and Kerr will hope they take no chances on his goalkeeper's fitness, particularly in light of the unavailability, through injury, to Newcastle of Given's understudy Steve Harper.
Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle has pronounced himself pleased with Robbie Keane's recovery from the ankle ligament injury he sustained in the friendly against Australia last month. While Keane missed Spurs' reserve game against West Ham on Monday he has, said Hoddle, "had a good week's training", although he is unlikely to be risked in tomorrow's Premiership game against Southampton.
Sports Against Racism Ireland (SARI) is holding its seventh annual multicultural "soccerfest" at St Brendans Hospital, Grangegorman today and tomorrow. Admission is free to the seven-a-side competition, which will feature teams from most ethnic minorities in Ireland, and entertainment will be provided for children.
