Michael Obafemi will not be part of the early stages of Mick McCarthy’s second coming as Ireland manager after it was yesterday confirmed that the 18-year-old will miss the rest of the season due to injury.

Michael Obafemi has committed his international future to the Republic of Ireland ahead of tonight's friendly with Northern Ireland.

The Michael Obafemi eligibility question took a curious turn at FAI HQ yesterday when a member of the media assured Martin O’Neill that he had it on good authority from a well-placed source — which he said he was not at liberty to reveal — that the 18-year-old is 100% committed to choosing Ireland over Nigeria or England.