Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill has defended his decision to include the injured James McCarthy in his latest squad and accused Everton manager Ronald Koeman of "bleating" over his treatment of the midfielder.
McCarthy was on Wednesday morning named in a provisional 35-man squad for Ireland's World Cup qualifier in Austria on November 12 despite having been sidelined for his club team.
The 25-year-old is out for at least another week after he suffered a hamstring tear during training with Everton last month and O'Neill admits it is a race against time for him to be fit for the clash at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.