Berbatov in? Berbatov out? Giovanni Trapattoni began the week worrying about Shay Given's shoulder and Aiden McGeady's foot but now he's chasing shadows.

Word emerged from John O'Shea last night via Kevin Doyle that Dimitar Berbatov could yet make a surprise return to the Bulgarian squad in time to travel to Dublin.

“I was just talking to John O'Shea and he said you never know, he might make a late appearance. Hopefully they are missing him, he's their best player so every little helps,” said Doyle.

“He said it wasn't definite that he was out, you never know, he might still be involved. We'll wait and see, obviously. It would be sensational if he came in late, considering we'd heard he wasn't going to be here. He's not a million miles away in Manchester either if he was to be fit.”

Trapattoni is working with the knowledge that Berbatov will not be in Dublin and while he is thankful for that, he points to other Bulgarian dangermen as a cause for concern.

“Berbatov is an important player but in my experience, we have to think that Bulgaria is a strong team and they have other quality players. They have Petrov, Popov, Georgiev - important players,” said Trapattoni.

While many feel that a Bulgarian team with Berbatov involved is not a bad thing given the Old Trafford star's moodiness of late, Trapattoni views things slightly differently.

“Berbatov, Petrov sometimes play like this - Montenegro are like this but they have creativity and they can get into the game in a split second and turn it completely. I am happy if they stay out of the game.”

Berbatov left Craven Cottage with his foot in a cast on Saturday after being substituted during Manchester United's 1-0 defeat by Fulham but there now appears to be a growing confidence within the Bulgarian camp that he could make an earlier than expected return - but not against the Republic of Ireland.

Reports from Manchester suggest that Berbatov returned to Sofia on Monday and was seen by two Bulgarian FA doctors who officially ruled him out of action for two weeks.

Trapattoni remains confident that Given will be fit to play against Bulgaria though there must be worry about his fitness for the game in Bari in a week.

“Both Shay Given and Aiden McGeady - they are having their injuries checked but I hope they will be ready for Saturday,” said Trapattoni.

“For us Given is very important. But he played 90 minutes at the weekend and he made two or three important serves. He is a little bit sore but he said to me, ‘I'll be playing'.”

- Paul Hyland