The manager of the Republic of Ireland football team, Martin O’Neill, has said that if Stephen Ireland wants to bring himself back into consideration for a place in the national squad, he will have to get in touch with him at some point of time next month.
O’Neill is not at all impressed with the fact that Ireland is not responding to the phone calls made to him.
According to O’Neill, Ireland has neither responded to his calls nor to the calls made by the Football Association of Ireland and that’s really weird. If he wants to play International football, he needs to contact with his national manager or his Association at least.
Talking to the reporters about Ireland yesterday, O’Neill said, “I wanted to speak to Stephen face to face. So, I gave him a call to ask him for a date on which we can meet, but, he didn’t answer that call. That was fair enough. You can’t be available on your phone all the time, but, then, he is not answering the calls of the Association either.”
“I had a chat with Stephen’s agent a few days back and he told me that the player was interesting in making a comeback. Now, if that’s the case, he’s got to get in touch, otherwise, it’s not going to happen. He must understand that it’s not possible for me to keep chasing anybody.”
“If he doesn’t want to play, it’s okay. But, if he does, he will have to contact. That’s it.”
Stephen Ireland has played only 6 matches for the Republic of Ireland so far. He has not represented his national side since the last 7 years. He had withdrawn his name from the team by giving a false reason in 2007 and since then, he has been out.