Jack Taylor has emerged as a doubt for the Republic of Ireland's friendly against North Macedonia on Tuesday.
The Ipswich midfielder was the surprise starter for the Boys in Green's penalty shootout defeat to Czechia in Thursday's World Cup play-off semi-final.
But manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has said that the 27-year-old has returned home to be with his wife who has fallen ill.
The Ireland head coach was speaking at FAI headquarters as the remaining squad members convened for their first session since the agonising loss in Prague.
He also offered an update on Taylor's club team-mate Sammie Szmodics who was discharged from a Prague hospital on Friday after being briefly rendered unconscious following a collision deep in extra time.
"Yeah, he's good. He is back home, he is taking it easy for the next days," Hallgrimsson said.
"He is out for protocol reasons for the next game. And Jack Taylor went home as well. His wife got sick, so there are more important things than football in life. We’ll take that day by day. He might come back if it’s appropriate, but otherwise he is back at home."
Tuesday at Aviva Stadium could have been a play-off final against Denmark. Instead, it's a fall-back friendly against a North Macedonia side who will also be missing the upcoming World Cup.
While it's not the fixture the Irish players or their fans would want in an ideal world, Hallgrimsson sees it as the start of a process for rebounding from the Prague pain.
"It's like a car crash; if you are driving and you crash a car, the best thing to do is to go back in a car and drive, so that effect kind of wipes away," he said.
'It's like a car crash; if you are driving and you crash a car, the best thing to do is to go back in a car and drive' - Heimir Hallgrimsson on the healing process after Czechia defeat pic.twitter.com/qPXbgxPTDl
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 28, 2026
"It’s probably similar in this case, it’s good to have a game after this to try to correct what we can correct, move on, and that is one of the things that we need to work on, because we haven’t played a lot of big matches in the past.
"We just need to grow from this. If you play big games, and we like to play big games, if they don't go the way you want, then it’s big losses. It’s a big hole in your heart after games like this. So that’s the thing, when you play big games you have big losses, and we would like to move on from this and learn."
The manager also indicated that in a non-competitive environment, it could offer him a chance to give more fringe players a chance.
He said: "What I have said, and I have been consistent in this, is that we have been playing really important games, so there has been no chance to try players and take risks, or whatever you want to call it. But now it's not much at stake, so if I am being consistent, now is the time to give some players a chance."
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