Family want Ireland recall

After recent revelations that his grandmother had asked Roy Keane to recall Stephen Ireland to the international set-up, now the Stoke player’s nine-year-old son is playing his part in trying to end the Cobh man’s seven-year exile.

The Potters midfielder admits his eldest son Joshua has been pleading with him to return to the Republic of Ireland fold.

The Ireland saga has continued into the reign of Martin O’Neill and Keane, with the managerial duo no closer to knowing whether they’ll have the playmaker available for the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in September.

While Ireland often cited family reasons for shying away from a comeback, it appears they are anxious that he returns.

“My family are always putting pressure on me. My dad, my grandmother and even my nine-year-old son are always on my case about coming back to Ireland,” said Ireland who scored four times in his six caps before going into international exile.

“There are a lot of reasons why it makes sense to come back. I’m 27 now and there’s a campaign coming up in September. There is a lot of pressure being put on Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane to bring me back.

“That’s a conversation we’re going to have between ourselves and maybe that could be pretty soon.”