Paul McShane admits his late call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad was bittersweet as it came at the expense of friend Kevin Foley.
Defender backs team-mate Foley to bounce back from omission
Paul McShane admits his late call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad for Euro 2012 was bittersweet as it came at the expense of friend Kevin Foley.
Hull City defender McShane was originally named on the stand-by list for the finals, but was drafted in by Giovanni Trapattoni due to fears over Foley's fitness.
Foley has admitted he felt 'betrayed' after being left out of the squad, but McShane insists there has no ill-feeling between the pair over the squad selection.
Bounce back
"When I got told the news I was happy, but I immediately thought of Kev," McShane told
Sky Sports News.
"It was quite difficult to chat to him but he is a good lad and a good friend of mine so there was never any hard feelings.
"I think he will bounce back because he is mentally strong and he is a good lad."
Much of Ireland's hopes of success at the final rests on Robbie Keane's shoulders and McShane has backed his captain to inspire the Republic in Poland and Ukraine.
"He is a world-class striker and you can see that with his scoring record and he has had a great career," added McShane.
"He's the captain and he leads us and his record speaks for itself."
