Shelbourne manager John Russell has offered no guarantees that captain Paddy Barrett will return to his starting XI for the remainder of the season after leaving him out of the squad for last week's draw at Galway United. Barrett was also absent from the Reds' Conference League second-leg clash against Ajax, with Russell confirming it was a selection choice rather than an injury issue. Speaking ahead of Shelbourne's trip to Tallaght Stadium to face Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division on Friday night, Russell said: "Paddy wasn't in the squad the last day. He's not injured." He added that he had picked Odhran Casey, Kameron Ledwidge and Sean Gannon in the recent match and was "getting a feel for the whole group at the moment." Russell acknowledged Barrett remains part of the squad but is "obviously not starting at the moment." When pressed further on the omission, Russell said: "It happens at every club, doesn't it? Where players play and players aren't in the squad or in the starting team." He noted he has "good players at my disposal" and currently sees Casey and Ledwidge as his starting options. "Yeah, (Barrett) wasn't in the squad. Could that change ? You don't know." Russell said. Shelbourne currently sit fifth in the league, five points off fourth place, which could be enough to secure European qualification if St Patrick's Athletic or Bohemians win the FAI Cup. Russell expressed hope his side can "click into gear" in the closing weeks of the campaign to finish the season on a high note, pointing to having two games in hand. "We've got lots of games left," he said. "If we can go on a run and win as many as those, you don't know what could happen in this league." Reflecting on the Galway United draw, where Shelbourne conceded a dramatic injury-time equaliser from Jimmy Keohane, Russell said they were "excellent for large spells" and had controlled the second half, only to concede late. "It feels like a loss when that happens but we moved on quickly. We've analysed the game. The lads want to play well." Shelbourne will look to secure vital points as they aim to close the gap on the top four, with their upcoming fixtures available for fans to track on our fixtures page, while squad developments can be monitored via the squad section.