Nathan Collins Injury Leaves Ireland Worrying for Nations League Start

Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins is facing a race against time to be fit for the start of the Nations League after suffering a calf injury with Brentford.

The centre-back limped out of Brentford's 1-1 draw with Sunderland in the Premier League last weekend, and the damage is serious enough to rule him out until after the upcoming international window.

"No, he won't be involved this side of the international break. Unfortunately, he's picked up a calf injury," Andrews said, confirming a spell on the sidelines for the defender, who has 40 caps for his country.

Collins tried to push through the problem before eventually coming off, a decision that underlined both his status and his mentality in the Brentford dressing room.

"He probably felt it a little bit earlier in the game and tried to play through it, naturally, like he would, given the type of character he is and being one of our leaders and our captains.

"So, no, unfortunately he won't be involved," Andrews added.

For Heimir Hallgrimsson and Ireland, the timing could hardly be worse.

A demanding Group B3 schedule looms, and the man who wears the armband is now a major doubt for the opening stretch. Ireland begin their campaign away to Kosovo on Thursday, 24 September, before a quick turnaround to face Israel three days later.

After that, the stakes rise again. Austria visit the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, 1 October, a fixture that already looked pivotal in the group. Ireland then round off an extended international window by meeting Israel once more, this time at a neutral venue on Sunday, 4 October.

Those four games will go a long way to shaping Ireland’s Nations League story. Whether their captain is on the pitch for any of them is suddenly the most pressing question.