Kenny confirms Caoimhín Kelleher misses out on selection after training ground clash resulted in 12 stitches

Macdara Ferris reports from the Aviva Stadium

With Caoimhín Kelleher looking set to play three weeks in a row for Liverpool and the poor start to the season for Gavin Bazunu's club Southampton, Kelleher may have put pressure on Bazunu as Ireland’s number one keeper.

However, a training ground clash at club level means that Kelleher is not part of Stephen Kenny’s squad for the upcoming Greece and Gibraltar games and he missed out on Liverpool's Europa League game against Union.

Meanwhile Bazunu will be boosted by his part in Southampton’s back-to-back victories in the last week which ended a run of four league defeats in a row.

"With Caoimhín, we got the call and he got 12 stitches in a knee joint,” said Kenny speaking to extratime.com about the goalkeeper situation at his squad announcement on Thursday for the upcoming EURO2024 qualifiers.

“Sometimes with stitches, if it's a calf, thigh or a facial injury, you can get on with it, but you can't if it's the joint, it just reopens all the time and it's unfortunate for Caoimhín really.

“He has played in the Europa League, he was going to play three weeks in a row including tonight and it's unfortunate for him.

"With Gavin I have been at a few Southampton games. Even though they conceeded some goals and a high number of goals, you'd struggle to say the goals were his fault. It can happen.

“You don't want your goalkeeper conceding a high number of goals, but they have had two good wins Southampton, conceding one last week (in 3-1 win over Leeds United) and a clean sheet the other night (in 1-0 win over Stoke City). He'll take confidence from that."

Kenny admits Celtic’s Liam Scales unlucky to yet get Ireland cap https://t.co/iGIyCYnegIpic.twitter.com/a3DsgFFHYK

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) October 5, 2023

Evan Ferguson and Liam Scales return for Ireland as Caoimhín Kelleher misses out with injury https://t.co/HZ5kHLj3Bzpic.twitter.com/HSpCR9QFUV

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) October 5, 2023