Jason McAteer is in line for a call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad this week, amid renewed speculation linking him with the French club, Monaco. Monaco, in search of new midfield options, are reportedly ready to reverse the popular trend and entice British-based players to mainland Europe.

Their interest in McAteer goes back more than a year to a stage when Roy Evans, the Liverpool manager, was said to be interested in using the projected revenue from the player's transfer to fund other deals.

In the intervening period he has widened the base from which he aspires to build a new empire for the club but it's not clear whether he still sees the Ireland player as central to those plans.

To persuade Bolton to part with McAteer two years ago, Evens had to pay £4.5 million sterling. Now the indications are that he will be expecting to show a £1.5 million surplus on that transaction if the Monaco deal goes ahead.

Far more certain at this stage is that the player will be back in the national squad for the forthcoming games in Iceland (September 6th) and Lithuania (September 10th) for the first time since a sending-off and a subsequent three-match suspension in the meeting with Macedonia at Skopje in April.

If the loss has not been critical, Mick McCarthy still views the player as a useful rallying point, as evidenced by his performance in the first game against Macedonia in Dublin a year ago.

On that occasion, he was deployed in a pivotal role in midfield. Now with Roy Keane rehabilitated in that area and Ray Houghton continuing to defy the years in a new more central posting, the likelihood is that the Liverpool player will be asked to run the right wing in the Iceland game.

Gary Kelly, the Leeds United player who also missed last week's scoreless draw with Lithuania, is another certain of a recall but in some respects, the bigger interest will be in his namesake, Alan Kelly.

After withdrawing from the scoreless draw with Lithuania because of damaged knee ligaments, the Sheffield United goalkeeper expects to make his first appearance of the season with the club's reserve team tomorrow.

Depending on how he makes out in the assignment, he would then be in line for a first-team recall at the weekend, with every expectation of joining the World Cup squad for next month's double assignment.

"At this point, I think the worst of the problem is behind me," he said. "I've tried out my knee in training and it stood up to every test. Now all I have to do is go and prove that I'm match fit.

"The problem is, in fact, a throwback to the injury I sustained in the promotion play-off game against Wolves at the end of last season when I played almost the entire game on one leg.

"The initial diagnosis I got on the injury wasn't very helpful and my knee went again on my first day back in training. It was only after a second X-ray that the full extent of the damage became apparent but now hopefully, it's sound again."

In the midst of his recuperation, the goalkeeper has again found himself the subject of transfer speculation. On this occasion the interested club is Everton who are said to be prepared to pay £1.5 million for his signature. If they are, they haven't apparently confided in the player.

"All I know about the move is what I read in the papers," he said. "For some time now, transfer stories about me have appeared at regular intervals but they never came to anything. To that extent, I'm not getting too excited about the latest reports suggesting that I may join Everton."

McCarthy plans to announce an enlarged squad of 24 on Thursday when, in addition to McAteer and Alan Kelly, Alan Moore and possibly, Gareth Farrelly, will be hopeful of selection.