Shane Long has been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland's upcoming Euro 2020 Qualifiers against Denmark and Gibraltar due to injury.
The Southampton striker had been training with the squad over the past couple of weeks, but a hamstring injury picked up in recent days means he is set to miss the vital pair of games.
The FAI confirmed the news on their official Twitter account.
SQUAD UPDATE | Shane Long ruled out of #EURO2020 qualifiers against 🇩🇰 & 🇬🇮
Striker suffered hamstring injury in training #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/LI3bli8629— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) June 3, 2019
This news will come as a major blow to Mick McCarthy, with Long finishing off the Premier League campaign in strong form.
Having lost his goalscoring touch in the past couple of years, the striker rediscovered his form in front of goal over the closing stages of the season. He netted four goals in five games during the month of April, leading many to believe he could have a major impact on during the upcoming international window.
Those hopes have now been dashed, however. McCarthy still has some decent options up front, with David McGoldrick proving his worth during the opening two games of the campaign. The likes of Ronan Curtis and Callum O'Dowda have also returned to the squad, meaning Ireland have a number of players capable of playing in advanced areas of the pitch.
Ireland travel to take on Denmark on Friday June 7th, before hosting Gibraltar in Dublin three days later.
