Soccer:Giovanni Trapattoni will not take a risk with John O'Shea's fitness in the build up to Euro 2012 after the defender reported for training along with the majority of the Republic of Ireland squad today. The Sunderland player injured his ankle in the final game of the season against Manchester United and sat out the session this afternoon, preferring instead to work in the gym at Malahide United's Gannon Park.
Although the manager is confident there is nothing to worry about in terms of the five-time Premier League winner's fitness, he insists he won't be rushing him back early.
"He said to me, 'yes'," said the Italian when asked if O'Shea might face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Dublin on Saturday, "but, I am sure, we can evaluate the situation. He said to me it's no problem. Also, our doctor (said that). I don't want to run a risk.”
He added: "Maybe tomorrow he will begin a little bit. It is important not to overwork him."
O'Shea was one of five players absent from the full session, with captain Robbie Keane due to fly in tomorrow from Los Angeles and midfielder Glenn Whelan given just a day off after getting married yesterday.
Keith Fahey and Kevin Foley, who have groin and hamstring problems respectively, are continuing where they left off on Friday, easing their way back to fitness while training separately from the main group. "I think in two or three days they can be ready," insisted the manager.
The prognosis on Keane remains positive, after confirmation came yesterday that a scan carried out by LA Galaxy revealed no significant damage to his hamstring. The Dubliner sat out last night's 1-0 defeat to Chivas and Trapattoni is happy to "wait with confidence for him".
However, as is the case with O'Shea, Trapattoni appears prepared to err on the side of caution when it comes to his captain.
"Robbie for us is important. I think we have enough time to recover him. I think we have time. Our news is not bad. We can check . . . we have three or four options."
Coupled with the manager's cautionary words for winger Damien Duff - who, he said is "ready, he's fit" and "it's better he stays calm" - it appears next weekend might allow time to look at less familiar attacking options.
That may mean the likes of Simon Cox and James McClean, who have been in Dublin since earlier in the week. The latter has settled in "very well, with confidence" and is "like one of the senior players". He hasn't yet worked on the right handside yet, as the manager suggested he might. "We have a plan for this," said Trapattoni. "We will also look at his attitude. I think he can do it."
Midfielder Keith Andrews was one of those to arrive today and he appeared as eager as anyone to get going. “Delighted to be in," said the West Brom midfielder, "obviously finished the season about a week and managed to get way for a few days, but after a day or two you just want to be over and get cracking."
After assistant manager Marco Tardelli and goalkeeper Shay Given both said the squad is heading to Poland to win the Championships at the weekend, he became the latest to display the confident streak seemingly coursing through the squad.
"We're not going for the craic, we'll leave that to the fans. They're there to enjoy themselves, we'll enjoy ourselves by doing things right. We've done part of the job by qualifying. If we were going there just to make up numbers we might as well have left it at the play-off in Estonia. We're going there with confidence. We've qualified out of a tough group, come through a tough qualifier. We're certainly going there to come out of that group."
