Republic of Ireland coach Roy Keane questions Premier League managers over injuries

Roy Keane has questioned whether club managers are using injuries as an excuse to withhold players from going on international duty.

Keane, assistant to Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, suggested it was "ironic" that players are often conveniently adjudged to be 10-14 days away from a return by their employers when they are due to meet up with their countries.

His comments come as he and O'Neill await news on five players, most notably Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot, Sunderland defender John O'Shea and Southampton striker Shane Long, ahead of Ireland's Euro 2016 play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The former Sunderland and Ipswich manager said: "You ask any of the players who worked under me, I never had a problem with players going away for internationals, never.

"I never ruled them out for 10-14 days every time there was an international match, I know that. If players were fit, they would go away. But if players aren't fit, you have got to respect the clubs. If the players aren't fit, then of course they stay at their clubs.

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"But it's ironic that they all seem to get ruled out for 10-14 days. And again, not just the managers you have mentioned, it's happened with a few other club managers who have been international managers themselves."

Elliot is a doubt after injuring his thigh playing against Bournemouth last Saturday, while O'Shea has not played since October 25 with a hamstring injury and Long is still recovering from an injection into the foot he damaged against Poland last month.

Keane hopes to have updates on the trio in the next 48 hours but admitted he had all but ruled them out some time ago due to the nature of their injuries.

"It's part of the game," he said. "With the injuries we've had over the last two or three weeks, I kind of ruled the boys out anyway.

"If they become available in the next day or two, particularly for the second leg, it will be a fantastic bonus because with the injuries they had, they were sore ones.

"The boring answer is that's just all part of sport, part of football and whatever happens, the lads who start on Friday night will give it everything they've got, and that's all we can hope for."