Everton midfielder James McCarthy has withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland's squad for the World Cup qualifier in Austria due to a hamstring injury, the Football Association of Ireland has announced.
The defender's misfortune will come as a blow to manager Martin O'Neill, who is already without strike duo Shane Long and Daryl Murphy and has doubts over a series of other players.
John O'Shea, Stephen Ward and James McCarthy are all struggling with hamstring problems, the latter's injury the topic of an increasingly bitter debate between the Republic boss and Everton counterpart Ronald Koeman, while Stephen Quinn is nursing a sore knee.