Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has insisted the only way Stephen Ward can break into the Republic of Ireland squad is to keep up his form in the Premier League.

Ward’s name was surprisingly missing from Giovanni Trapattoni’s 23-man squad yesterday for next Tuesday’s friendly against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium, despite the 24-year-old being the only Irish left back playing regularly in the Premier League.

Instead, the Italian coach called up 19-year-old Manchester City left back Greg Cunningham, Portsmouth centre-back Marc Wilson and Wolves summer transfer target James McCarthy of Wigan for the first time.

Kevin Foley and Kevin Doyle were also selected from Molineux, but Ward’s omission could leave him with a long slog to establish himself in the eyes of the international selectors.

But as a former Ireland manager, McCarthy has no intention of trying to pick other people’s teams for them and hinted that Ward will have to play the same patient waiting game as Foley, who was picked for numerous squads before winning his first cap last May.

The Wolves boss said: “Trapattoni picks the squad. If Stephen Ward is playing well for me in the Premier League – which he is – then it’s up to the manager of the national team to decide to pick him, not me.

“All Wardy can do is what he’s doing for me. I don’t say anything because if anyone says anything to me about my squad, I tell them to ‘Foxtrot Oscar.’

“No one else picks my team and I have no intention of trying to pick anyone else’s. Kevin Foley was Player of the Year for us last season and kept being picked in squads without playing, so Wardy just has to keep playing in the Premier League.

“He has to stay in the first team, because if he doesn’t, he has no chance of being picked. I have empathy for the managers, because it’s always the players not in the squad who make the controversial story.

“It’s like that here – Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was in the team for 16 games and the first time he’s not, I get asked about it.

“It also becomes a controversial story when former Ireland manager Mick McCarthy says ‘blah-di-blah’ about a current Irish manager’s decisions.”