Updated 18.27

ROBBIE KEANE WAS the only player to sit out Ireland’s final training session in Malahide ahead of the squad’s departure for Germany.

Keane got “a kick” on the ankle yesterday and is now being monitored by the medical team to see if he will be fit for Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Cologne.

“The medical people are looking at that to get him right and sort him out,” goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly said this morning.

“As per usual we always take precaution, you saw that the last couple of days with Anthony [Stokes] and Joey [O'Brien] sitting out and looking after the respective parts of their bodies. There’s no difference in terms of that with Robbie as well.

We’ll see how it goes. We’ve got to fly out there now and it’s being monitored and we’ll make that assessment come Thursday and Friday.

That’s the precaution that we would take.

Meanwhile the FAI revealed this evening that Noel King has turned down a request from Keane’s club LA Galaxy who asked that the striker be released after Friday night’s game.

Galaxy, who are currently involved in a tight playoff battle, have league games next Wednesday and Sunday while Ireland play Kazakhstan in their final World Cup qualifier on Tuesday evening.

Noel King today informed Bruce Arena “that he has decided not to release Robbie Keane and trusts that he understands the position, having been an international manager himself,” the FAI said in a statement this evening.

– Originally posted 13.24

Domestic help called as King tries to solve German puzzle

‘I spoke too openly, I learned a hard lesson’ – Joey O’Brien