Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has revealed defender Richard Dunne is battling a recurring knee injury.
The 31-year-old centre-back completed 90 minutes of Saturday’s draw with Manchester United.
However, he has now been forced to pull out of the Republic of Ireland squad for Wednesday night’s game against Norway at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
And Houllier confirmed: “Richard’s knee has swollen up and it is a recurring thing. That is why he missed two or three games earlier in the season.”
The Frenchman also took the opportunity to praise Dunne and fellow central defender James Collins for their influence on a youthful Villa squad.
He added: “He is important to us and I like the attitude of all my older players because they are good tutors (for the younger players) in terms of training and attitude towards the job.
“The two centre-backs are fantastic people. They encourage and sometimes they give a rollicking.”
Bet365 is live streaming Republic of Ireland v Norway at 19.45 GMT.