Coventry City's Republic of Ireland international Gary Breen has been told he still has a future at the club despite being banished to the reserves.

The 25-year-old has been axed after his last two games at centre half and has been left out of the squad after the arrival of Bosnian skipper Mo Konjic, a £2 million recruit from Monaco.

He was made to play in the Reserves at Grimsby just days after Coventry were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton and did not travel with the party to play Newcastle last Wednesday.

Manager Gordon Strachan has denied any rift with the player - who was disciplined after missing the team bus earlier in the season - but looks unlikely to include him for the derby clash at Aston Villa on Saturday.

Strachan said:

"It is the same for everyone here. Every player has a future at the club if they do well. We are not looking to sell Gary."

Breen, who attracted interest from Blackburn earlier in the season, recently won his place back in Republic team, playing a starring role in their recent win over Paraguay. He admitted his exclusion has been difficult to take.

He said:

"This has been a hard time for me but I am happy with my form. I feel I am more than capable of playing in the first team and have just won my starting place back with the Republic of Ireland.

"I have put a lot of work into my fitness and have been able to do that without the worry of staying fresh because I know I won't be included."