Stephen Kenny insists Aaron Connolly is injured - despite claims from Brighton manager

The spotlight has shone on Connolly’s status since he was an unused substitute for the most recent internationals against Azerbaijan and Qatar.

Ireland's Aaron Connolly: Not in the 26-man squad. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Stephen Kenny insists Aaron Connolly hasn’t been axed from his Ireland squad – rather his omission for the concluding World Cup qualifiers is injury related.

The eight-times capped Brighton and Hove Albion attacker was the notable absentee from the 26-man panel named by the Ireland manager for the fixtures against Portugal at Aviva Stadium next Thursday and Luxembourg away three days later.