Declan Rice has been omitted from the Irish panel for the upcoming competitive game against Wales and the friendly against Poland.

No reference to Rice’s omission has been made in the statement published by the FAI. However, here had been rumours over the past week that Rice was being courted by England – and his omission may be a result of that.

"It would be a huge blow to the Irish cause if Declan Rice were to decide that his international future lay elsewhere," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. "We will see what explanations are forthcoming, whether from Martin O'Neill or from Declan Rice, but there is an ominous look about the fact that he is not included in the squad. Were he to play in it, the game against Wales would be his first competitive senior international, and would irrevocably bind his future to Ireland. There is a possibility that he needs a little bit more time to make that decision. But you have to ask just how badly this may have been handled, if an issue has arisen since the beginning of the summer."

As the statement confirms, an updated squad will be announced on September 3, and so it is still possible that Rice may feature. But he has not been omitted at this stage on footballing grounds. That much we can say for certain.

The full statement as published by the FAI reads:

Martin O'Neill has selected a provisional Republic of Ireland squad for the UEFA Nations League opener against Wales (September 6) and the international friendly with Poland (September 11).

Injury results in Everton midfielder James McCarthy (leg), Robbie Brady, (ankle) Scott Hogan (groin), and Preston North End forward Sean Maguire (hamstring) being ruled out, while a number of senior players who missed the friendlies against Turkey, France and United States have returned to the fold.

There is a first senior call-up for goalkeeper Sean McDermott, who plays for Kristiansund BK in Norway's Eliteseruen. The 25-year-old qualifies through his Donegal-born father and has represented Ireland at Under-17, U-19 and U-21 level.

Preston North End forward Callum Robinson has received international clearance after obtaining an Irish passport through his Monaghan-born grandmother. He featured for an Ireland XI in the Scott Brown Testimonial in May.

The Ireland squad will report into camp on Sunday, September 2 before travelling to Cardiff on Tuesday, September 4 for the game against Wales. The squad will then travel on to Poland ahead of the game on Tuesday, September 11.

An updated squad will be announced on Monday, September 3 ahead of training at the FAI National Training Centre.

Republic of Ireland Provisional Squad
Goalkeepers: Colin Doyle (Hearts), Sean McDermott (Kristiansund BK), Kieran O'Hara (Macclesfield Town*), Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough)
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Cyrus Christie (Fulham), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Richard Keogh (Derby County), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), Kevin Long, Stephen Ward (Burnley), John Egan, Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers), Greg Cunningham (Cardiff City)
Midfielders: Alan Judge (Brentford), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Shaun Williams (Millwall), David Meyler (Reading), Harry Arter (Cardiff City*), Daryl Horgan (Hibernian), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), James McClean (Stoke City)
Forwards: Jonathan Walters (Burnley), Shane Long (Southampton), Graham Burke, Callum Robinson (Preston North End), Aiden O'Brien (Millwall)