Southampton striker Shane Long has been forced to drop out of the Ireland squad with a groin injury.
The Irish FA have confirmed that the Saints star will miss the games against Gibraltar and Georgia, with Aiden O’Brien called into the squad to replace him at short notice.
Long has not started a game for Southampton since the defeat to Cardiff back at the start of February and while he is no longer regarded as a key player under Hasenhuttl, his injury certainly comes as a blow to the club as they approach a crucial period in their season.
Charlie Austin and Danny Ings, when fit, have both been preferred to Long in the starting line up recently.
The Irish striker came off the bench with just over 20 minutes left to play during the 2-1 win against Tottenham.
It remains to be seen how serious the injury is for Long, but he becomes the latest in a string of players to drop out of the Irish squad, following the likes of Callum O’Dowda, Alan Browne and Ronan Curtis.
