Ireland forwards Jon Walters and Daryl Murphy have been ruled out of Tuesday’s friendly against Slovakia, joining fellow strikers Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane on the sidelines.
A hamstring strain kept Stoke's Walters, Ireland’s player of the year, out of last night’s 1-0 win over Switzerland.
On Thursday Martin O’Neill told reporters that Walters, who has 10 international goals to his name, would “definitely play” on Tuesday but has now decided not to risk the ex-Ipswich man.
The FAI also confirmed to RTÉ Sport that Ipswich frontman Murphy, who came on as a substitute for Doyle last night, is returning to his club with a calf strain.
It was further bad news for O'Neill who lost 35-year-old captain Keane (knee) and Doyle last night.
O’Neill said: "Robbie is just a wee bit concerned about the injury now. It's something he thought was a kick for a start, he thought it would clear up in a couple of days.
“He has just felt it's sore and it's something he definitely wants looked at now, either here or going back.
"He will miss Tuesday's game definitely now. I am hoping that's not a major concern at the moment and I genuinely don't think it is, so I don't want to start a bit of scaremongering."
Colorado Rapids forward Doyle was stretchered off last night after suffering a bad gash to his leg. The 32-year-old is expected to be out for a number of weeks.
He tweeted: “No serious damage, back jogging in a few weeks.”
