JAMES McCLEAN last night presented Giovanni Trapattoni with another unwanted man management challenge by sending a tweet immediately after the game that was severely critical of the Ireland performance and, it seemed, the manager’s decision not to involve him.

“Delighted as a fan that we got the win,” read the tweet which was deleted from the player’s account not long after the FAI had been made aware of it but only after it had been retweeted more than 1,200 times by other users of the social media platform. “Personal level #fuming #f******joke #embarrassing” it concluded.

McClean had previously given up tweeting for a time at the behest of his club after a succession of online altercations with Northern Ireland fans during which he was threatened. Some of his own contributions had been somewhat provocative and this latest incident will not endear him to a manager who could do without falling out with a player who has quickly become a favourite of the Ireland supporters.