Denis Irwin is still clinging to the faint hope that a knee injury, sustained in Sunday's scoreless draw at Villa Park, will have responded in time for the replay of Manchester United's FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, at the same venue tomorrow evening.

In an incident which revived memories of the injury he sustained in a Champions League game against Feyenoord last season, the Irishman was carried off after being caught by Ray Parlour's indiscreet tackle, late in the game.

Fortunately, the tackle and, by extension, the damage, is not nearly as serious as the one which put him out of commission for two months on that occasion. After treatment yesterday, he was optimistic that he will be available for selection when Alex Ferguson names his team just before the kick-off.

"My knee is still a bit sore, but the incident was not as serious as it may have looked," he said. "I didn't see Parlour coming in on my blind side but as soon as he made contact, I sensed that for me, the game was over.

"I've been to see the physiotherapist this morning and was told that there should be a big improvement over the next 24 hours. If the diagnosis is right, I would expect to have a reasonable chance of playing on Wednesday."

However, the United manager, Alex Ferguson, was less optimistic last night and seems to have ruled Irwin out of contention. "I have some players playing very well at present. Young Phil (Neville) was excellent when he came on and he will replace Denis and we will just have to look at one or two others. Denis is the only one who is injured."

Mick McCarthy wasn't at Villa Park to witness United's latest hurdle on the path to the audacious treble, but the implications of the result, are not being lost on him as he prepares to name the Republic of Ireland squad for the European championship warm-up game against Sweden at Lansdowne Road on April 28th.

Even before Sunday's game, there were genuine fears that because of the vista now opening up for Manchester United and the consequent demand on their players, neither Keane nor Irwin would be released. Nor is this the only problem threatening McCarthy's plans.

Traditionally, it has always been difficult to secure the release of players for non-competitive international games, at a crucial stage of the club season. Now, perhaps, the problem is more acute than ever. David O'Leary, who objected so vociferously in having to release Stephen McPhail for the World Under 20 championship, will require some persuasion to make Ian Harte available at a time when Leeds United are vying for the Premiership.

At the other end of the table, the fear of relegation may cause clubs like Blackburn, Charlton and Coventry to think long and hard about any requests from Dublin. And as a result, the participation of players like Jason McAteer, Damien Duff, Mark Kinsella and Gary Breen in the Swedish game, may be at serious risk.

None of which will make McCarthy's job any easier when he puts pen to paper after the weekend programme in England, for this, Ireland's first meeting with Sweden, since 1970.

Robbie Keane is at the centre of renewed speculation linking him with Tottenham, following the clearest evidence yet that George Graham is poised to add to his limited striking options.

"I think it is now fairly obvious that we need a player who can score on a regular basis, the kind of out and out striker we have lacked all season," he said after Sunday's FA Cup semi-final defeat.

Dean Richards, another of the club's talented players, is attracting the interest of Liverpool.