Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has left Steven Reid, Andy Reid, Steve Finnan and Clinton Morrison out of the 25-man squad for the World Cup qualifying play-off against France.
Trapattoni recently said he did not think Steven Reid would play again following injury, a statement which drew a furious response from the player's club manager Sam Allardyce.
Trapattoni has also decided to leave out Sunderland's Andy Reid, Portsmouth defender Finnan and Coventry striker Morrison for the two-legged play-off at Croke Park on November 14 and the Stade de France on November 18.
Trapattoni said: "We performed strongly throughout the qualifying group stages.
"We were undefeated in all 10 games and this is a reflection of how we have played and also the mental strength of this team.
"France have a strong squad but we go into this play-off knowing that we are only 180 minutes away from qualifying for the World Cup."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments