SHAMROCK ROVERS MANAGER Collie O’Neill has issued an update on Savannah McCarthy after she was hospitalised following a two-car collision on Sunday.

According to The Kerryman, the Ireland and Shamrock Rovers defender was pulled from the burning vehicle by locals near the Kerry-Limerick border. 

Two people who were in the other vehicle were also injured, the paper reported. 

McCarthy is in a stable condition, but facing a long road to recovery.

“I spoke to her yesterday, she’s obviously not in a good place at this moment in time,” said O’Neill.

“She has suffered extensive leg injuries and she is lucky to be alive, but Sav being Sav she is being positive and saying, ‘What’s next, how do I get back, what do I need to do?’.

“Our medical department is trying to get in touch with the medical department in Limerick to see what we can do to try and help.

“It was a shock for everyone, it is a close group here and it was pretty hard for people to hear.

“It’s one of those things, you always think football is everything but at times it’s not, it comes second, and all we can do is hope that she gets a good, speedy recovery.”

O’Neill also spoke about McCarthy’s impact at the club since joining ahead of the 2023 season.

The 27-year-old Kerry native previously represented Galway, Cork City and Glasgow City, and has won 11 senior caps for Ireland. 

“She’s been a massive player for us, and it’s not just on the pitch,” said O’Neill.

“You could see the difference in our form when she was out at the start of the year, recovering from a broken ankle in pre-season. When she came back, our form picked up.

“She’s great to have around the place, she’s great off the training field. She’s one of those players that looks after the younger players, so she’ll be a big, big loss for us.

“It’s too early to tell when she’ll be back. She has to go through some more operations and it’s only when all the operations are finished that we’ll be able to look at recovery time then.”

O’Neill added that support from the club and players is “vitally important” and “what will help her get through it”.

Stephanie Zambra, who has announced her retirement from football, also spoke about her team-mate McCarthy at Tallaght Stadium this morning.

“For us, as players, obviously we just want to make sure Sav is okay. Sav is one of the best team-mates I’ve ever had, she’s a lovely, lovely person, and I just hope she’s okay. The last we’ve heard is that she’s recovering and she’ll be okay.”