Brady injury could be first blow for King

Robbie Brady is at risk of missing next month’s World Cup qualifiers through injury.

Although the Hull City winger starred in their 2-3 win away toNewcastle United at the weekend, scoring his second goal of the season, he was rated doubtful before the game because of a strained stomach muscle.

Now Hull boss Steve Bruce has confirmed that the player has a hernia problem, saying: “It will obviously need to be sorted out sooner or later. We shall continue to monitor him and see how he goes and, at this stage, it is touch and go whether or not he will need an operation.”

Ireland caretaker manager Noel King, who will unveil his panel on Monday for the games against Germany and Kazakhstan, knows Brady well, having brought him into the Irish U21 side before the former Manchester United man graduated to the senior team under GiovanniTrapattoni

Meanwhile, Mark Hughes believes Stephen Ireland’s goal-scoringperformance against Tranmere Rovers – in front of the watching Noel King — was just a sign of things to come from a player who is looking to revive his career at Stoke City.

Ireland marked his first start for the Potters with the opening goal in a 2-0 win over the League One side in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday. But although Ireland’s interim manager was in attendance, it’s believed there was no contact between King and the player after the game. Ireland recently said that he would be open, at some point, to the possibility of ending his long international exile while King has stated that he is not excluding any players from his thinking ahead of the final World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan.

However, while talking up his loan signing from Aston Villa, MarkHughes also made it clear that he feels the 27 year old still has a lot of ground to make up after falling out of favour at Villa Park. Hughes said: “Stephen has come in and everybody can see he is an intelligent footballer. He understands the game and how to affect the game in a positive manner. He took up some great positions in and around the opposition box and when he gets in good areas he will finish. I thought he was excellent.

“But we are still trying to get him up to speed. He has missed a lot of senior football. He has not had a lot of game time and it is going to take him a little bit of time to get up to the level I know he is capable of.

“But you saw in the amount of time he had that he is going to be a good player for us.”

Ireland, who had made two substitute appearances in the previous two Premier League games, played for the first hour before being withdrawn. Hughes hopes he can go on to make a big impact this season but is not planning for him to start against Norwich on Sunday. “He is not ready yet but he is getting there,” said the manager.

Meanwhile, as the hunt for a successor to Giovanni Trapattoni continues, Mick McCarthy has been warned that it be could be a mistake to return for a second spell in charge of the Republic of Ireland. McCarthy remains very much in the hunt, as initial hot favourite Martin O’Neill is believed to have cooled his interest in the job.

But former Ireland international Steven Reid, who played for McCarthy and was part of his squad at the 2002 World Cup Finals, thinks that McCarthy could be on a hiding to nothing if he takes charge of the side again.

“I’m not sure I could see Mick going back,” said the West Brom man. “It would be difficult to repeat what he has already done for Ireland – obviously getting us to the 2002 World Cup would be difficult to repeat. I am sure that he is enjoying the day to day management at Ipswich. Maybe the question might be asked, but I can’t see him leaving that at the minute.”

Reid thinks that O’Neill remains the man most likely to succeed Trapattoni. “He is obviously out of work and he is the fans’ favourite, if you like,” he said. “He has got the link with Celtic so I think that he would be a good appointment.”

Despite scoring his own spot-kick, West Brom’s Reid — who fell from international favour under Trapattoni — ended up on the losing side in a penalty shootout to Arsenal in the League Cup on Wednesday. But the player was happy to be back in action having missed the opening six games of the season with a calf strain.

“I am delighted to be back,” he said. “Playing 120 minutes was a big ask after not playing for a little while.”