Quinn injury is McCarthy's only worry

Niall Quinn remains the only serious doubt for this Saturday's opening European Championship qualifier against Croatia.

Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy said last night that the availability of the Sunderland striker was his only real concern at this stage and that the issue should be resolved by tomorrow when Quinn sees a Harley Street specialist about his back injury.

"It's still a little bit worrying because it is his back but nobody really seems to know that exactly the problem is," McCarthy said last night. "There's no point in pre-empting what happens on Tuesday at this stage, though. Hopefully the doctor will get to the bottom of it when Niall sees him and we'll find out what the situation is then."

Quinn himself remains hopeful that, possibly with the help of an injection, he will be available to play on Saturday, but even if he is passed as fit to join up with the squad, the fact that he did not even make the bench for Sunderland's game at Ipswich means that his fate will also partly depend on Peter Reid, who could now refuse to release the 31-year-old for the match.

If the former Arsenal and Manchester City striker, who has missed his club's last three competitive games, isn't available to earn his 64th international cap at the weekend then Tony Cascarino will be considerably more likely to play a part in the match. With that possibility in mind, McCarthy will have been heartened yesterday by the news that the veteran Irish striker was on the mark for his club, Nancy, on Saturday night in Lens where his newly-promoted side went down 2-1 to the French champions.

Damien Duff, who didn't played any part in Blackburn's defeat by Leeds, was another possible worry for the Irish boss, but his club manager Roy Hodgson assured McCarthy last week that the player's omission was purely for tactical reasons and Duff, who set up the goal in Rovers's 1-0 defeat of Leicester on Saturday, is now certain to figure in the plans for this game.

By this afternoon, when Liverpool trio Phil Babb, Jason McAteer and Steve Staunton as well as Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given are all due to have arrived at the team hotel, McCarthy will be in a position to start his preparations for Saturday's game in earnest with only Robbie Keane, Alan McLoughlin and Dean Kiely, all of whom are due to play for their clubs today, still to join up with their Irish team-mates.

Meanwhile, Mark Rutherford's departure from Shelbourne is expected to be confirmed this afternoon. The 26-year-old winger, whose first team opportunities at Tolka Park were going to be limited after the arrival last week of James Keddy from Derry City, has agreed a return to Shrewsbury, currently third from bottom of the English third division. He will rejoin his former club on a free transfer as he was out of contract at Shelbourne. Also on the move, Home Farm Everton defender Barry Ferguson has signed a four-year deal with Premiership club Coventry City.