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Everton's James McCarthy and Stoke's Glenn Whelan are returning to their clubs for treatment after injuries forced them to miss Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland on Friday. McCarthy, 23, suffered a hamstring injury during the Toffees' 1-1 Premier League draw at Sunderland on Sunday and has been unable to train this week. His fellow midfielder Whelan, 30, has only just returned to training after breaking his leg during his country's 1-1 draw with Germany in a European Championship qualifier in Gelsenkirchen on Oct. 14. Neither will be involved in the Republic's meeting with Scotland at Celtic Park in Glasgow, the Football Association of Ireland confirmed on Twitter. They are also set to miss a friendly against the U.S. in Dublin on Tuesday. The decision to send McCarthy back to Merseyside came after he underwent a scan on his hamstring problem on Wednesday. McCarthy and his Everton and Republic team-mate Aiden McGeady -- both born in Scotland -- have come in for criticism ahead of Friday's match for not representing the country of their birth. Scotland manager Gordon Strachan said he had no problem with his team's fans booing the pair, while former Scotland, Leeds and Manchester United centre-back Gordon McQueen described them as "traitors."
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