Waiting game for Jonathan Walters

Jonathan Walters’ daily injury updates continue to be delivered in upbeat tones, but the race is on for the Stoke City player to prove his fitness ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s European Championship opener against Sweden on Monday.

Walters sat out another training session at the National Sports Campus yesterday due to an Achilles issue, one that was initially reported as a calf problem, and the team’s departure for France today will necessitate another down day for him.

“Jon will gauge his own body, what he can and can’t do,” said Roy Keane. “In an ideal world, you want all your players training every day. But Jon has earned the right to have a few more days to see if he can be involved in training by the weekend.