With Keane banished from the squad, however, the spotlight has fallen on Holland and Mark Kinsella, who will step up to partner him against Cameroon in the opening Group E clash.

"Sure, there's going to be extra pressure on us now that we're missing our best player" said Holland.

"That's obviously disappointing and it definitely places extra pressure on Mark and myself.

"Hopefully we can deal with it because I know we're both really looking forward to playing. We've played together many times for Ireland and I've known Mark a long time.

"I think it's fair to say we know each other's games very well - it's proved to be a good combination in the past.

"Hopefully, it's a partnership that will flourish during the World Cup finals."