Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan faces a race against time in order to be fit for his side's Premier League encounter with Manchester City on Saturday.
The 29-year-old returned to the Britannia Stadium for treatment after picking up a hamstring injury during the Republic of Ireland's 2-1 defeat to Sweden on Friday.
Whelan will miss his country's World Cup qualifier in Austria on Tuesday and is yet to find out whether he will be fit for the weekend.
"It's too early to rate his chances for Saturday, but he is obviously a doubt at this stage of the week," said Stoke assistant manager Mark Bowen.
Whelan began his career at Manchester City.
