Determined Ireland ready to fight for City future

STEPHEN IRELAND is not paying too much attention to transfer speculation as he fights for his future at Manchester City.

The Irish midfielder established himself as a key player for the club a couple of seasons ago but had limited opportunities to impress under Roberto Mancini towards the end of last term.

The arrival of more new faces this summer will make it more difficult for Ireland to feature regularly, and reports have suggested that he could be on the move. Sunderland and Tottenham are among those thought to be monitoring his situation but the 23-year-old knows nothing about any concrete interest.