Ireland fear losing star striker Evan Ferguson for World Cup showdown in Portugal

"Ferguson had an ankle problem on Thursday and is still not fully fit," said Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini on Sunday.

INJURY DOUBT: Roma’s Evan Ferguson in action. Pic: ©INPHO/Giuseppe Fama.

Ireland are grappling with the prospect of losing primary striker Evan Ferguson for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Portugal through injury.

Ferguson was a rare positive from last month’s window, scoring against both Hungary and Armenia despite Ireland collecting just one point from the opening qualifiers.

Although he was named among the substitutes for AS Roma’s 2-1 win at Fiorentina on Sunday, manager Gian Piero Gasperini revealed afterwards the reason for Ferguson’s inactivity.

"Ferguson had an ankle problem on Thursday and is still not fully fit," he said, referring to the Europa League opener against Lille, in which the Irishman played for 77 minutes.

Heimir Hallgrímsson assembles his Ireland squad on Monday at their Castleknock Hotel base.

Lisbon will host the first home fixture of the campaign for Portugal after the top seeds claimed six points from the September trips to Armenia (5-0) and Hungary (2-1).

It will soon be revealed whether Ferguson has reported in to be assessed by the squad’s medical team ahead of their first training session on Tuesday morning.

Fellow striker Troy Parrott will certainly return to the squad.

He missed the first two qualifiers due to medial knee ligament damage and while Hallgrímsson feared the layoff would extend into this window, the forward made his comeback for AZ Alkmaar on Sunday.

The team’s top scorer played the final 20 minutes against Telstar, demonstrating he’s equipped to feature against Cristiano Ronaldo and co.

Considering Hallgrímsson has pinpointed the second game of the gathering on Tuesday week, the rematch against Armenia, as pivotal to reviving Ireland’s qualification chances, the priority will be to have both Ferguson and Parrott available for the second segment of the double-header.

If Ferguson fails to recover for Saturday, Adam Idah will be primed to deputise. The Corkman scored his first Swansea City goal in Saturday’s home defeat to Leicester City.

Séamus Coleman will report for duty having featured for the first time in the Premier League this term on Sunday. He joined compatriot Jake O’Brien on the pitch for the final stages of their late 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.