Ireland striker Leon Best says he is "totally baffled" as to why he hasn’t figured in Giovanni Trapattoni’s plans for the Republic of Ireland recently.
The Ireland manager faces into the Euro 2012 play-off with Estonia in November with question marks hanging over the fitness of forwards Robbie Keane and Shane Long, in addition to having to do without Kevin Doyle who is suspended for the first leg.
Best told TalkSport Radio: “Every time it’s mentioned it baffles me. I’ve seen what Trapttoni’s been saying in the papers about work rate but he only needs to ring up Newcastle and ask for my stats, it’s as simple as that.
“The Prozone will tell you that I’m doing nearly 10km a day. I don’t what it is. Obviously, if he’s saying I need to work harder then I need to work harder. He’s a man to learn off, he’s got the experience and he knows what he wants.”
The 25-year-old featured in Ireland’s ill-fated World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign – when he was plying his trade with Coventry City in the second tier of English football – but has been unable to earn a recall this time around, despite hitting three goals for Newcastle and helping them into fourth place in the Premier League.
He added: “It’s the best time of my career so it’s not a matter of disappointment. It just made me sit back and think – what’s going on here?
"What have I done wrong or what more do I need to do because I was getting in the squad when I was playing in the Championship and not playing every week so it’s totally baffled and confused me”
Best, capped seven times for the Republic, also said that he has not been in contact with the FAI in recent times, adding: “I’ve not spoken to anyone or heard from anyone [in the FAI]. I haven’t got anyone’s number there apart from the security and I don’t feel I am in a position to just ring Trapattoni and ask him why he hasn’t picked me.”
