Séamus Coleman hit with minor injury setback as World Cup play-off approaches

Everton manager David Moyes expects the latest injury setback for Séamus Coleman to be only minor as the defender returns to fitness.

The Killybegs man has been out with a hamstring injury since November after being taken off in the first ten minutes of Everton’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in Old Trafford.

Coleman, who is captain of the Republic of Ireland team, played a pivotal role in the Irish qualifiers ten days prior to his injury, as he started both matches in wins over Portugal and Hungary as Ireland finished second in their group to reach the World Cup play-offs.

Since then, the 37-year-old hasn’t played a game but was on the bench four times for Everton, and while he wasn’t in the squad for Saturday’s 3-2 win away to Newcastle United in the Premier League, Moyes has stated that he doesn’t expect the injury to be long-term.

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"Séamus Coleman picked up a little bit of a nick on Friday,” Moyes said in his press conference ahead of their match against Burnley on Tuesday.

“He missed out at the weekend with a little bit of a nick, he won't be available for this game, but we're hoping it's not going to be too long," Moyes said today ahead of Tuesday’s fixture.

Ireland face Czechia in Prague on Thursday, March 26, and Heimir Hallgrimsson will be hoping his captain will be available for selection.

Should Ireland win that match, they will then have a home play-off final against either Denmark or North Macedonia, with the winners of that game qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North America.