Shay Given will not be adding to his 125 Republic of Ireland caps, after announcing his retirement.

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni now has doubts as to the international futures of Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne in the wake of Shay Given’s retirement.

Just 48 hours ago Trapattoni expressed confidence his most senior players in Keane, Dunne, Given, as well as Damien Duff, would all return to the fold for the start of the World Cup qualifiers next month.

The quartet, in the wake of their Euro 2012 exertions at the end of what was a disappointing campaign, were given leave by the 73-year-old Italian for this week ahead of tomorrow morning’s friendly with Serbia at the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade.

In Dunne’s case, in particular, that has since been superseded by a recent groin operation that will keep him out until the middle of next month at the earliest.

Trapattoni’s words, however, were yesterday reinforced by assistant Marco Tardelli as the management at least sang from the same hymn sheet, but then came Given’s bombshell late yesterday.

Although confirming he is available in an emergency, it is fair to say he is unlikely to add to his record 125 caps spread over more than 16 years.

Given’s decision has now prompted unease in Trapattoni’s mind as to captain Keane and defender Dunne especially.

Trapattoni said: “Richard sent me a message recently saying he would not be ready for the game with Kazakhstan because he needs a few weeks to recover from his injury, that the game was too soon.

“I answered him and said after this friendly, after he has recovered from his injury, we would review the situation, but I’ve told him we need him, it’s true. He will let us know.

“As for Robbie, I’ve also sent him a text, but he’s not answered me. I’ve checked my mobile.

“I will speak with him before I announce my next squad (in around 10 days’ time for the Kazakhstan game).

“He needs to tell me whether he wants to come back or what he wants to do.

“We can decide after this game because it’s important for us to look at the other players. We have (Shane) Long, (Simon) Cox and (Jon) Walters.

“After this game, and before the one with Kazakhstan, we can think about this situation.”

It means the game with Serbia is now more than just a pre-season friendly as it could form the foundation for future squads.

In naming his side, Kieren Westwood now has to fill Given’s shoes in being named number one, with Paul McShane, Darren O’Dea, John O’Shea – also wearing the captain’s armband – and Stephen Kelly lining up in defence.

Across the middle is Aiden McGeady, James McCarthy, Glenn Whelan and James McClean, with Walters and Long in attack.

“This friendly match is a good opportunity to see some of the new players, to give them a chance to prove they can be part of the national team,” added Trapattoni.

“I’m not expecting a great result or a beautiful match because we all know the players are at the start of their season with their clubs.

“But if we can get a good result, that brings confidence and builds the trust within the team.

“When you have young, new players their morale goes down after a defeat, so a good result would give us that confidence and trust.”

With the uncertainty surrounding the big-name players, a result would certainly provide a lift for Trapattoni and his squad going into the September 7 clash with Kazakhstan in Kabul.

In a qualifying group that also includes Germany, Sweden and Austria, the Republic’s chances of reaching the finals in Brazil in 2014 appear slim.

But a defiant Trapattoni said: “It’s a tough group, but then the last group (for Euro 2012 qualification) was tough.

“We have to show what we achieved in qualifying for the Euro – we must keep the same attitude, identity and play.”

Shay Given believes Ireland must give it time before assessing the side's poor perfromance at Euro 2012. (Pic: PA)

Shay Given has insisted the dust must settle before an accurate assessment can be made on Ireland’s European Championship flop.

The post-mortem into Ireland’s trip to Poland and Ukraine, where they failed to pick up a point from their three group games, was set to continue today, amid fears Giovanni Trapattoni’s men embarrassed themselves on their return to the biggest stage.

Given, one of few survivors from their previous major tournament at the 2002 World Cup, admitted it was hard to find positives after they conceded nine times – scoring just once – during their three Group C matches.

The 36-year-old, who is contemplating retiring from international football having won a record 125 caps, said: “We’ve just lost three games, so positives are thin on the ground.

“We came here before the tournament expecting to do better.

“Things are hurting at the minute, but when you look at the bigger picture in a few months’ time then maybe you’ll see some positives.”

Aston Villa goalkeeper Given admitted he could not have envisaged such a dismal display at Euro 2012.

“I don’t think anybody did,” he said after Monday’s final group defeat to Italy.

“We went into the tournament with plenty of confidence and looking forward to it.

“But it’s just shown the standard of teams you’re up against when you get to major finals.

“Especially Spain. We all know how they played and even Croatia were a very strong team as well.

“You know when you get to the finals, you’re up against the elite players and the elite teams.”

Given denied mental fragility had cost Ireland.

“I think the biggest problem we had in both the first two games was to concede such an early goal,” he said.

“That put us back and everything you train and work for, game plans and things, kind of go out the window.

“You concede a goal after three minutes and, in the next game, you concede a goal after four minutes, so that was very tough to take.”

The former Newcastle and Manchester City star refused to make excuses about his own error-strewn performances, despite carrying an injury days before the tournament.

“I only trained two days before the very first game so that wasn’t ideal, I suppose,” he said.

“But my sharpness? I don’t know.

“I’m not making excuses.

“I was 100 per cent fit to play, so when you cross the white line, it’s over to you.”

He added: “It’s been a tough few weeks and it’ll be tough going home now to see the people back home.

“It’ll be tough because we’ve brought nothing back home with us.”

Shay Given during training at the Municipal Stadium, in Gdynia. (Pic: Niall Carson/PA)

Goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly has allayed any fears over Shay Given’s fitness ahead of Euro 2012.

The 36-year-old Republic of Ireland international played only 45 minutes of Monday night’s 0-0 friendly draw in Hungary, albeit a fine 45 minutes, and was a spectator at last night’s public training session at the Municipal Stadium in Gdynia.

However, Kelly has no doubts the Republic’s most-capped player will be between the posts when they open their campaign against Croatia in Poznan on Sunday evening.

Asked whether Given would play if the game was tonight, Kelly said: “He would play, he would play.

“Anybody who has seen Shay over – what is it, 122 caps, now? – and his determination to play for Ireland, that’s not going to go away.

“To play in the big championships, it’s a bit of a cliché, but nobody more so than Shay is desperate to play on Sunday. I don’t think wild horses keep him from being on that pitch.

“I think his determination and the willingness he has shown over 16 years to play for Ireland now is not going to go away overnight.

“He’s fine. We had the open day yesterday in front of a really fantastic crowd, as you saw, and it’s just part of his rest and recuperation.

“He played the 45 minutes the night before – I don’t know if you noticed, but we were playing head tennis over in the corner and having a bit of craic with the crowd, and he was absolutely busting a get to get involved.

“But I had to put the old reins on him and keep him back. We had travelled overnight and it’s nothing out of the ordinary, really.”

Given’s fitness has been one of the major topics for debate since he damaged his right knee in training the day after meeting up with the squad in Malahide last month.

Indeed, so concerned was he by the problem that he flew to London to consult a specialist and did not train for a week after being told to rest.

But Kelly, who works closely with the Aston Villa man and colleagues Keiren Westwood and David Forde, is convinced Given will be ready for the weekend.

He said: “If he is fit to play on Sunday, then he is fit to play. It’s a metaphorical question for anybody.

“If you go out on to the pitch, you might say injuries can happen – anything can happen on the pitch. But once you go over the white line, you are fit and you have put yourself forward.

“Another thing about Shay, in terms of his integrity and honesty, he wouldn’t do that if it meant it would in any way impair his performance.

“You have got to keep in mind the fella that you are talking about and the iconic nature of him.

“He wouldn’t want to do anything that would lessen our chances. He is a professional of the highest integrity and I have no qualms or no problems with him going forward and playing on Sunday.”

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni, unusually, gave his players a day off today, just their second since they assembled in Malahide.

That decision, announced late last night, came less than 24 hours after winger Aiden McGeady had suggested he and several of his team-mates felt jaded in Budapest.

However, amid suggestions that player power had taken its toll on the 73-year-old Italian, Kelly insisted there was nothing unusual about it.

He said: “Well, first and foremost, who are we to question the manager in terms of 50 years’ experience?

“In any situation, in a squad situation in a national team or indeed in a club, you are always monitoring, you are always looking at the players, you are always looking to what you can do to help them best prepare for a game.

“You never have a set programme or routine, you have always got to be open to change. You have always got to look at it and think, ‘Well hang on, we might change this, we might not’.

“The manager made a decision – it gave the staff a little bit of a day off as well. We have been here 22 days, I think it is now, and I think mentally and physically, it is good for everybody that we have been given a bit of time out.

“It’s all about Sunday. Whatever you have got to do to get them in the right frame of mind mentally and physically, the manager makes that decision.”

The FAI say Shay Given's visit to a London doctor is precautionary.

Ireland keeper Shay Given will travel to London to consult a specialist over his knee injury.

The 36-year-old, who has missed training for the last two days after sustaining the problem, will return to Ireland’s Portmarnock base the same day with the camp insisting the visit to a doctor he has used before is purely precautionary.

An FAI spokesman said: “Shay Given will travel to London tomorrow to visit a knee specialist that he has seen in the past. He will return to Portmarnock in the evening.

“This is purely precautionary and Shay remains fine for the Euros.”

Given left training early on Monday morning and although there was no major concern over his injury, the decision to rest him for two or three days was taken as a precaution.

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni remains confident the Aston Villa goalkeeper will be fit for the Euro 2012 finals, but had already all but ruled him out of Saturday’s friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The news came less than an hour after the Italian had drafted Paul McShane into the squad as defensive cover with Richard Dunne, John O’Shea, Sean St Ledger and Kevin Foley all struggling for the weekend.

Meanwhile, Darren O’Dea is ready to step into Richard Dunne’s boots on Saturday, but does not expect to be doing so when the Euro 2012 finals come around.

The 25-year-old Celtic defender, who spent last season in the npower Championship on loan at Leeds, has 13 senior caps to his name and perhaps most notably, was part of the rearguard which somehow managed to lay the foundation for a 0-0 qualifier draw in Russia last September.

He is also currently something of a rarity at the Republic’s Malahide training base, a fit centre-half.

Giovanni Trapattoni  added McShane to his 23-man squad after seeing Sean St Ledger join Richard Dunne and John O’Shea on the casualty list.

With all three doubtful for this weekend’s friendly against Bosnia, O’Dea seems certain to start.