Comeback kid Dunne sees silver lining in injury cloud

AS Peter Cook might put it, life can be a cruel mistress. Just ask Richard Dunne.

No sooner has he earned his longed-for recall to the Irish squad than a calf muscle injury, sustained while in action for Manchester City at the weekend, leaves him cooling his heels in the build-up to Ireland’s biggest game of the year.

Dunne has been ruled out of the Republic’s crunch World Cup qualifier against France on Saturday.

Centre-back Dunne, whose last appearance for his country was 11 months ago, had been hopeful of shaking off a calf injury which had forced him to miss two days’ training since linking up with the rest of the Irish squad yesterday.

But Dunne was last night forced to concede defeat in his bid to take on France at the Stade de France and will today return to Manchester City to receive treatment for the problem.

There is still hope Dunne could be back in the squad on Sunday and be available for the following Group 4 clash with the Faroe Islands at Lansdowne Road on Wednesday.

Manager Brian Kerr said: “Richard has been receiving treatment from our medical staff since his arrival.

“However, following a review tonight our medical team felt it would be more beneficial if he was to return to Manchester City for intensive treatment rather than lose out on a day’s treatment by travelling to France.

“Richard will therefore return to Manchester in the morning, but if he recovers sufficiently over the next few days then he will rejoin the squad in Dublin on Sunday.”

It’s been a year since the 25-year-old Dubliner last wore an Irish jersey, in the 3-0 friendly win against Canada, and a full three years have elapsed since his last competitive outing, in that memorable 1-0 World Cup win over Holland at Lansdowne Road.

As Brian Kerr said yesterday, Dunne was in the thick of the action, that day especially when the Dutch threw everything at the Irish defence in the final quarter.

Thanks to Jason McAteer’s unlikely winner, Ireland took a giant step towards Japan and Korea that day. Dunne made it to the finals too, but didn’t play in the tournament. Indeed, for a time, and despite a substantial 20 cap and four goal contribution to the Irish cause, Dunne seemed destined to be stuck in the role of also-ran - or worse - making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, such as when his Manchester City boss Kevin Keegan warned him that he was drinking in the last chance saloon.

But that was then and this is now, and Dunne is reaping the rewards for putting his house in order. Only this week, Keegan has been talking about a new contract on the back of how Dunne has “reinvented” himself, while the player’s impressive performances at the heart of the City defence have also persuaded Brian Kerr to give him another go.

So if there’s a silver lining to the injury cloud, it’s got to be that Dunne is a wanted man for the right reasons.

Responding to Keegan’s support, he says: “It’s nice, it’s a big change from what was being said a couple of years back so it’s good he’s got confidence in me and that I’m part of his team. I just felt that my past was always being dragged up no matter what. So it’s a case now of getting good publicity and I hope I can keep it that way.”

Dunne’s presence in the camp this week is proof of his determination and Brian Kerr’s belief in him as a serious defensive option. “It’s the same for any footballer - if you’re left out of your club side or international side you are going to be disappointed,” Dunne reflects.

“The lads did great with the results they got during the summer and in the first two qualifiers so for me it’s just a case of waiting. My form this season has helped me get back into the squad. It’s not really for me to say I’m doing well (at City) because it really depends on how the team’s doing. I think, on the whole, our performances have been quite good recently so that reflects well on all the players.”

Pressed on the point, he cites securing a position at centre-half as being crucial to his progress.

“I’ve always said from when I was 17 to when it happened last year that I wanted to get a decent run at centre- half. But it wasn’t until 18 months ago that I really got the chance, so I suppose I’ve just been learning my whole trade. After being judged as a right-back for four or five years, to get a chance to play in a position that I’m used to and feel most comfortable with, I think that has allowed me to express myself a bit more.”

Naturally, he’d like another chance to show what he can do in a green shirt.

“I’ve been in and out but I’ve also had a lot of injuries,” he says, “and you can’t really become a regular if you’re injured every other month.”

Dunne knows from first-hand experience at club level that even an apparently weakened French side cannot be underestimated. For a start there’s the fact that his own club’s star striker, Nicolas Anelka, has failed even to make the squad.

“When you leave a player like Nicolas out you must have some replacement for him,” he muses.

Which leads, neatly, to the $64 million question for any minister of defence - how do you deal with Thierry Henry?

“You need help,” Dunne deadpans.

“You need to make sure there’s cover and that everyone’s getting involved - he’s a very hard player to mark. I mean, on Saturday it looked like the fella marking him was doing alright and then he just back-heeled it into the net. The frightening thing for any defender is his pace - if you go tight he can just knock it over your head and you won’t be able to catch him.”