STEPHEN Kenny is yet to speak to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp over the injury to Caoimhin Kelleher, which Klopp insists happened to the goalkeeper while on Ireland duty in June.
Kelleher is absent from Ireland's squad to face Scotland and Armenia in the upcoming final Euro qualifiers, and his place in the squad goes to Bristol City's Max O'Leary.
The Corkman played in all four Ireland fixtures before the summer break, with Liverpool claiming he tweaked his groin in the final game against Ukraine, but Kenny had previously argued that he hadn't been injured on international duty.
READ MORE: Irish teenager tipped to become a Brighton first-team regular this season
"If Caoimhin tweaked something in the game against Ukraine it wasn’t evident by his performance," stressed Kenny after naming his squad for the qualifiers this afternoon.
"He performed very well and done everything really well. I honestly wasn’t aware of him being injured at that time.
"He trained with Liverpool when he went back for pre-season and got injured, but certainly it was something that we weren’t aware of.
"The good thing is he’s making good progress and is back very soon, and should be back for the next camp for sure.
"I haven’t spoken to Jurgen Klopp but the medical teams have been in constant contact so that’s been evident."
Kenny says that Robbie Brady's Ireland recall is on merit after an 18 month absence.
The recall of Brady, Andrew Omobamidele and Callum O'Dowda is good news for Kenny and his squad as they chase down a play-off spot.
The return of Brady, 30, coincides with his show of form for Preston North End in the Championship, where he has finally been able to get through a run of games.
"It’s 18 months out of the squad for Robbie," acknowledged Kenny.
"He is one of our better players for sure, all things being equal.
"But things haven’t been equal for him because his body has let him down, frequently, and that has been most unfortunate.
"It’s just good to see him, he’s only in on absolute merit, we do admire him as a player and the talent he possesses but he’s in because his performances for Preston have been different really for a left wing back.
"He offers you different things, he’s a very creative passer from that position, quality crossing and he just sees things so early and has played well in that position to date this season.
"I’ve been a few times to see Preston, obviously, and I’ve enjoyed his performances."
Norwich defender Omobamidele returns after a back injury, having last represented Ireland in November 2021.
"For Andrew, it’s different because when you’re a young player and never been injured it’s new, it’s unchartered territory," Kenny reflected.
"It’s a stress fracture, or potential stress fracture in your back. That creates uncertainty.
"He had a long period out after bursting on the scene, had a really exceptional start to his international career and only played seven club games when we played him, and he didn’t disappoint.
"We knew what we were getting and he really excelled. That injury set him back somewhat but he’s performing to a good level and has been an ever present for Norwich at the start of this season."
O'Dowda, too, has made a welcome return to form.
"He is talented, left footed and a direct dribbler," said Kenny. "But he has not been able to get a run of games with his previous club Bristol City.
"He got a really bad hamstring injury and it re-occurred, it’s been a really difficult period for Callum so he’s been through a lot because he’s had a few false dawns where it looked like he was getting back and then it went again.
"Sometimes you get that with explosive players, so he’s been through a lot.
He's moved to Cardiff and started the season well. He played in four different positions – on the right wing, the left wing, as a left back and wing back.
"He’s quite a versatile player and I would hope that he would be potentially someone that’s important, a significant player for us in the qualifications for the European Championships between March and November. I would hope that he would be involved."
Michael Obafemi is also included in the squad, despite finding himself out in the cold at Swansea City.
"I’ve spoken to Michael and like everything else there are two or three sides to every story," he commented.
"Certainly Michael wants to play football, he wants to play for Swansea.
"Obviously he has been omitted from the last couple of squads after the deadline-day bids and so forth.
"It’s not ideal, we want our players playing and coming in in good form. It’s just one of those things, I’m sure he’ll be back playing shortly.
"We’re delighted to have him in the squad because we have watched him a few times this season and he has played well, he has been at the level he finished off last season.
"OK, maybe that has not been translated in goals but I seen him against Blackpool where he ran 60 yards and was right in on goal to win the game and unselfishly laid it off to Olivier Ntcham to win the game.
"And he scored a great goal against Millwall, so he has done some good things and his form has been good overall. "
And on the task in hand in the coming weeks, Kenny stated: "I think we're going into the games next week knowing that we still have a chance of finishing second in the group and to make a play-off.
"Ukraine have been amazing, really, considering what they've gone through.
"They've got to play Scotland twice, which is interesting, but we have to look at ourselves, we have a tough trip to Scotland and then Armenia here."
READ NEXT:
Marco Asensio responds to Real Madrid boos, Lionel Messi sets record, Juventus in disarray
Stephen Bradley keen to manage abroad as he eyes up Gent clash in Belgium
35-man Emerging Ireland squad named for tour of South Africa
The amount in millions that Padraig Harrington has made since joining PGA Tour Champions
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
