Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy is keeping his fingers crossed over teenage striker Aaron Connolly after he suffered an injury barely a week before the crucial Euro 2020 showdown with Denmark.
Connolly's involvement in Brighton's 3-1 Premier League defeat by Manchester United came to a premature conclusion when he limped off at half-time at Old Trafford with a groin problem.
The 19-year-old will undergo a scan on Monday and a decision will be taken after that on whether he can play any part in Thursday night’s friendly against New Zealand in Dublin.
McCarthy said: “Aaron will have a scan on Monday morning. Our medical team have been in contact with Brighton and when we have the results on Monday, we will know more.”
Connolly made an instant impact on his senior international debut last month when he came off the bench in Georgia and very nearly snatched a win which would have booked Ireland’s place at next summer’s finals.
He was handed a first start in Switzerland three days later on the back of his performance in Tbilisi, but found the going tougher as his side went down 2-0 in Geneva.
That result left them needing to beat the Danes at the Aviva Stadium next Monday evening to qualify automatically, barring a shock result elsewhere.
