Sean Maguire is a major doubt for Ireland's upcoming internationals against Switzerland and Bulgaria following a freak injury while training with his club.
The Preston North End striker sustained an eye injury after being hit in the face with a football, and as a result missed Preston's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Speaking after the game, Preston manager Alex Neil said the player may need to be rested for up to two weeks in order to prevent further damage to his eye.
"It's the most bizarre injury I have seen before," Neil said.
"It happened on Thursday and the ball has ricocheted and hit him in the eye and it’s caused a bleed in his eye and the pressure is double of that of his other eye. It can be significant so we have to be careful.
"The advice is for him to have two weeks rest because an increase in blood pressure can cause more damage so we will be careful with that."
The injury means Maguire is now highly unlikely to feature in Ireland;s Euro 2020 qualifier against Switzerland on Thursday, or the friendly meeting with Bulgaria the following Tuesday.
The striker has scored one goal in four appearances for Preston this season.
Meanwhile, the Ireland Under-21s will be without injured pair Michael Obafemi and Nathan Collins for their upcoming games against Armenia and Sweden.
