Martin O'Neill's decision about who to play in attack may have just gotten a little easier.
Southampton Shane Long will miss the game against Wales, with injury. The news was confirmed on Monday morning, hours before the kickoff in Cardiff.
Long started on Friday night against Moldova, but was replaced by Sean Maguire in the final stages of the game. The injury means that Maguire or Aston Villa's Scott Hogan should feature tonight.
Daryl Murphy will now be expected to lead the line against Wales, but will be unlikely to last the 90 minutes, meaning one or both of Maguire and/or Hogan could be tasked with scoring their first international goals.
Confirmed. Shane Long will miss tonight’s game with Wales through injury. @RTEsoccer #walire
— Tony O'Donoghue (@Corktod) October 9, 2017
Long struggled last week in training before the Moldova game with a dead leg. It's unknown if the injury is related to that.
The Southampton striker has struggled to find the net this season, with a goal drought at club and international level lasting over 20 games.
Long's absence may force Martin O'Neill's hand into playing a more attacking team than he had originally planned to.
It paves the way for one of Murphy, Maguire or Horgan to write their name into Irish footballing folklore.
