Crocked Gibson to miss Euro qualifiers

DARRON GIBSON will miss Ireland’s European championship qualifiers against Slovakia and Russia after he damaged ankle ligaments in training at Manchester United.

The player was taken to hospital on Thursday where he had a protective cast placed on his foot until swelling subsides before he could undergo an X-ray. However, the initial prognosis is not good with the midfielder — who has been linked with possible moved to Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers — expected to be out of action for at least four weeks.

Assuming both Keith Andrews and Glenn Whelan are fit, Gibson would have been an unlikely starter in either game but this injury blow will increase the pressure on Giovanni Trapattoni to reverse his decision to drop James McCarthy from the senior squad.