Niall Quinn is set to give Mick McCarthy some opportune encouragement ahead of today's announcement of the Republic of Ireland squad for their end of season programme.

Quinn, perturbed by innuendoes that his latest knee problem was in some way related to the injuries which forced him to undergo two cruciate ligament operations, delivered his response with a typical performance at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

On a day when Sunderland's problems proliferated, it still wasn't enough to rescue them from a 3-1 defeat by Tottenham, but from the striker's perspective it was mission accomplished.

"I had my knee checked out thoroughly last week and scans showed that there was some minor fibre tissue damage which is quite normal at this stage of the season," he said.

"There was never any doubt in my mind that I would be available for selection for Ireland's games and after coming through the match at Tottenham without any hassle, I'm looking forward to what is an important part of the preparations for the World Cup." McCarthy will be relieved to have Quinn on board, for with Tony Cascarino retired and David Connolly and Keith O'Neill both unavailable, he is not exactly embarrassed for choice in the front line.

The same can be said of the situation at full back, where he has seen his options dramatically reduced by a remarkable sequence of withdrawals. With Dennis Irwin lost to international retirement and Steve Staunton out because his wife is expecting a baby within weeks, he then discovered that injuries would deprive him of the services of Ian Harte and Alan Maybury.

With Gary Kelly available to play at right back and Steve Carr capable of switching to the other flank, the first choice options are still attractive. The problem is that should either be injured, the manager could, conceivably, find himself stretched for cover. And that, in turn, could revive the fortunes of two players, who possibly felt they had been forgotten.

Curtis Fleming hasn't appeared in an Ireland shirt since the game against Mexico exactly a year ago. Yet in that time, he has been almost ever present in Middlesbrough's team. Coincidentally, Fleming was one of McCarthy's most consistent performers during the last American tour in 1996, and he may now reap the rewards of his patience.

Another alternative may be Terry Phelan, Jack Charlton's first choice left back during the 1994 World Cup finals in America but now three years removed from his last Ireland game, against Romania in a World Cup qualifying game at Lansdowne Road.

Since then, he has survived a career-threatening injury and the indignity of being unloaded by Everton. Now playing in the relative obscurity of the First Division with Fulham, he believes that at 33, he has still something to offer the national team.

Richard Dunne has made the vast majority of his 70-plus first team appearances for Everton in an improvised right-back role, but the indications are that McCarthy will opt to deploy him in the middle of the back four in America.

As yet, it is still not clear if Roy Keane will be available to lead the team on tour. In spite of speculation that Manchester United were loath to have the player exposed to the risk of injury at the end of a long season, he had still not been ruled out of the reckoning at the weekend.

He has been having treatment for a sore hamstring in recent weeks, however, and it remains to be seen if, in fact, he will be available to take part in any or all of the four-match programme against Scotland, Mexico, the US and South Africa.

On the credit side, it now looks as if Stephen McPhail will be cleared to join the squad.