Sheffield United: John Egan set for Republic of Ireland chance after Mick McCarthy suffers double injury blow ahead of crunch qualifiers

Shane Duffy hobbled off during Brighton and Hove Albion’s League Cup clash with Aston Villa, while Richard Keogh will miss the rest of the season after being involved in a car crash after he went out drinking in midweek – an incident which saw Derby teammates Mason Bennett and Tom Lawrence charged with drink-driving.

The pair have been McCarthy’s first-choice centre-half combination recently, but the loss of one – or both – for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Georgia and Switzerland could see the door opened for Egan, who recently captained his country for the first time in a friendly victory over Bulgaria at the Aviva.

McCarthy will announce his latest squad on Tuesday. Ireland take on Georgia in Tbilisi on October 12 before facing Switzerland in Geneva three days later.

"It's fantastic to captain Ireland and get a win, it's a dream come true and a proud moment for me and my family,” Egan said after captaining his side to victory over Bulgaria.

"I found out on the morning on the walk and the gaffer [Mick McCarthy] pulled me and told me. There was a little bit of shock, but I was delighted.

"I enjoy the responsibility and I really enjoyed it tonight, I'm a proud Irishman and I think it's the pinnacle, captaining your country at the Aviva.

"This is the proudest moment of my career. It's an honour not many get and I'm lucky to have gotten it tonight."

Derby, meanwhile, condemned the "alcohol-related incident" that has led to captain Keogh being ruled out until the end of the season because of a serious knee injury.

The Rams have revealed Keogh was among those who continued drinking after a team-building dinner with staff on Tuesday evening.

"As a club, we cannot, and do not, condone the actions of a small group of players on Tuesday evening," Derby said in a statement.

"The players were out as part of a scheduled team-building dinner with staff and while the majority of them acted responsibly and left at around 8pm and were not involved, a small group, including the team captain Richard Keogh, continued drinking into the night.

"They should have known when to stop and also ignored the opportunity to be driven home using cars laid on by the club, and chose to stay out.

"As a result of an alcohol-related incident, Richard Keogh has sustained a serious knee injury that will prevent him from playing until the end of the season."

Derby pair Lawrence and Bennett were charged with drink-driving after a crash involving a Range Rover Sport and a Mercedes shortly before midnight on Tuesday.

Derby's statement continued: "The players involved in the incident on Tuesday evening will be subject to a rigorous internal investigation under the club's code of conduct and disciplinary procedures.

"But over and above any punishment they receive we will be expecting them to become involved with the excellent work the Community Trust does helping the communities we serve.

"We have been very clear about our attitude towards alcohol and the players know that at certain and specific times of the season they are permitted a drink together as a group in a controlled environment."

The statement concluded: "Those involved in Tuesday's incident know they will pay a heavy price for their actions, but also that we will support them with their rehabilitation back into the squad and team.

"We fully support the work of our partners at Drinkaware and the unsanctioned actions of this small group of players is totally at odds with the stance that both Drinkaware and Derby County Football Club take regards alcohol.

"We will be using this situation to redouble our efforts in highlighting the dangers posed by alcohol.

"We would also like to thank the emergency services for their swift help."