Hunt set to miss rest of the season

IRELAND’S build-up to the World Cup qualifying play-off against France will begin to take real shape this afternoon when Giovanni Trapattoni names his squad at a press conference at FAI headquarters in Abbotstown.

There was mixed news yesterday for the Irish manager in terms of the cover available to him for his first choice strike force of Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle, with Noel Hunt likely to miss the rest of the season while Leon Best expressed confidence he would return from injury sooner than expected.

Reading’s Hunt has undergone surgery after a knee injury flared up again.