Tardelli brushes off injuries

Marco Tardelli has insisted all 23 of the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 squad will be fit for the friendly against Hungary on June 4 and, more importantly of course, the tournament itself.

The assistant manager made his confident prediction yesterday despite yet another media briefing dominated not by talk of the upcoming games against Croatia, Spain and Italy but a casualty ward which, at this rate, will soon be stuck for space.

Just as worrying as the quantity of niggles and knocks is the fact they are concentrated on the defensive half of the teamsheet and it now looks likely that Ireland will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Saturday’s friendly without four of their first-choice back five.