Michael Evans, the Southampton forward, is among the 22 players from whom Mick McCarthy will name his team for the opening leg of the World Cup play-off tie against Belgium at Lansdowne Road on October 29th.

Also included is Lee Carsley, who, like Evans, won his first cap in last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Romania, and is now awarded the midfield vacancy occasioned by Roy Keane's cruciate knee injury. Given that Keane's problems are long term and that Gareth Farrelly is only in the process of re-establishing himself at Everton, after a recent injury, it was on the cards that Carsley - for all his difficulties in adjusting to the pace of international football - would be retained.

Evans, who only got on for the last few minutes as a replacement for Tony Cascarino last Saturday, had less reason to expect a vote of confidence and like Tommy Coyne, almost certainly owes his place to the non-availability of Niall Quinn and Keith O'Neill.

Quinn, who has only just restarted light training, still has a lot of work ahead of him before he is sufficiently recovered from the latest in a sequence of injury problems, to merit serious consideration for an Ireland recall.

More controversially, perhaps, McCarthy is not yet ready to gamble on O'Neill's lack of match practise.

The Norwich player is due to end a long absence by turning out in a reserve team game next Tuesday. But despite the player's singular sense of optimism, McCarthy is not prepared to risk selecting him.

"I spoke with Keith on the telephone and he didn't intimate that he is ready to return," he said. "He's got to get himself conditioned, mentally as well as physically, before he comes back; but I think he's looking at the game in Brussels as a more realistic target."

On Carsley's selection he said: "He didn't look too happy in the Romanian game; but I think he may have been confused by the system we play. Most of the time he was lying too deep; but to his credit he stuck with it and eventually improved."

Back in the squad are Denis Irwin and Steve Staunton, both of whom were left out of last Saturday's game as a precaution, after picking up yellow cards in earlier fixtures, and Andy Townsend, the team captain, who has recovered from injury.

Of the players who drop out, Stephen Carr, Phil Babb and Liam O'Brien, the loss of Babb is the most significant. McCarthy shares Roy Evans's view that the centre back is now playing better than at any time in the last year. If fit he would provide an attractive option in the back four.

Babb's clubmate Jason McAteer is again nominated, despite a shallow performance against Romania and McCarthy was at some pains yesterday to emphasise the problems with which McAteer is now having to contend.

"He's no longer automatically included in Liverpool's team and more and more his name appears in transfer speculation," he said.

"On both those counts, his performances are at risk of suffering and I think that accounts for his poor display last week.

"I have told him that it is a manager's prerogative to pick the team and if Jason feels aggrieved in being left out, the only course of action open to him is to play well enough to persuade him to change his mind.

"I know from experience that transfer speculation is upsetting for any player. I've no doubt it has affected McAteer's performances and I have been preaching to him on the need to be single minded and get on with the game when he walks on to the pitch."

On the absence of Keane, McCarthy said: "I think Alex Ferguson was only stating the obvious when he said that Roy Keane was almost certain to miss the World Cup finals if we beat Belgium and qualify for France.

"Even though the player could be back in training by April, Manchester United are not going to rush his recovery just to suit Ireland. They're not going to risk the player breaking down so close to the new season."

McCarthy also confirmed yesterday that he intends to take his squad to a country retreat in Kildare to prepare for the game at Lansdowne Road. Acknowledging the attention of the public as flattering, he said it was still necessary to distance the players as much as possible from the hype and excitement building around the match.

The team news from Belgium is that Enzo Scifo, one of their principal midfield strategists, is expected to have recovered in time from a groin injury to accompany the squad to Dublin.

Scifo, a member of the Belgian squad, which reached the World Cup finals in Mexico in 1986, missed last Saturday's 3-2 win over Wales; but is expected to return to assist Anderlecht in their European Champions' League game next Wednesday.