Republic of Ireland’s Roy Keane expects Shane Long to miss Bosnia trip

The first leg will take place in Zenica on Friday with the return match following in Dublin next Monday.

But speaking this afternoon, Keane was pessimistic of the Tipperary native’s chances of making it, along with fellow doubts Alan Judge and Paul McShane.

“With the injuries over the last two weeks I kind of ruled them out anyway”.

“But there’s no point in preparing for the second game if you haven’t done the preparation for the first one”.

“He was never going to get as many goals as he did last year, I think we’re all aware of that and that’s not underestimating Murph because he was so brilliant last year”.

John O’Shea’s Sunderland boss, Sam Allardyce, and Rob Elliot’s gaffer at Newcastle, Steve McClaren effectively ruled their players out of global action after the weekend’s Premier League action.

“It’s just not possible”.

“Lads who haven’t been playing regularly, lads who’ve been getting a run of games, people like Meyler, Clarky back involved with Villa”. Quinner (Stephen Quinn) has missed out, it’s disappointing but the boring answer is that it’s part of sport. Sometimes you need a bit of luck.

“He got through training alright, was selected to play, but felt it on the morning of the game”.

“I think if you had mentioned to me a way back when the group was first introduced that we would have a home and away match in the play-offs to try to qualify regardless of who was available for us at the time, I probably would have taken that”.

“I try not to worry what club managers say”. It’s ironic, with managers, when global week is coming up, the players always seem to be ruled out for 10 to 14 days.

Keane said: “You ask any of the players who worked under me, I never had a problem with players going out for internationals”.

“I never ruled them out for 10 to 14 days every time there was an global”. If players were fit, they would go away. But you have managers who rule them out for 10 to 14 days – even managers who have been worldwide managers themselves.

“John’s injured. When you pull up with a hamstring like that it’s a hard one to come back in terms of an worldwide game”.

“If the players aren’t fit, then of course they stay at their clubs”. At least when the draw was made it was like “bang, let’s focus on Bosnia, let’s focus on the players who are here in the last day or two”.

LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane has been called up to Ireland for a UEFA European Championship 2016 playoff series against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, November 13 and Monday, November 16.