Ireland agrees new Stoke deal

The prospects of Stephen Ireland returning to the international fold would appear to have improved further after the player’s immediate future at club level was settled.

Stoke City announced yesterday the Cobh man has signed a three-year deal at Britannia Stadium, with manager Mark Hughes — who also worked with Ireland at Manchester City — hailing the 27-year-old as “an outstanding player.”

For his part, Ireland said that he feels very much at home and wanted at Stoke after a period of stagnation at Aston Villa.

“It’s important for every player to feel wanted and to be a part of a family and to be honest I haven’t had that for a long, long time,” he said. “Thankfully I have felt that warmth here at Stoke and, truth be told, I couldn’t really be in a better place at the moment. For that, I have to thank the gaffer immensely because he is the main reason I came here in the first instance, and of course, he is a big factor in why I am delighted to agree this new deal now.

“I have also been able to build a good relationship with the supporters and that is very warming to me, because it has been a long time since I have felt loved at a football club. I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy my football again like I have done if the manager hadn’t brought me here, so of course, I am incredibly grateful to him and the club for doing that.

“I am 27 now and I really do feel my best years are ahead and hopefully I can keep improving and flourish in the team. I’m playing with a smile on my face again, and everything I used to love about football has come back to me again here at Stoke.”

The Irish management team of Martin O’ Neill and Roy Keane have been keeping close tabs on Ireland, who has been in self-imposed exile since his then promising Irish career went into deep freeze with the ‘Grannygate’ affair of 2007.

Keane recently spoke highly of Ireland in Cork while O’Neill saw him play against Newcastle United in Stoke’s 1-0 win at the weekend.

Asked if he felt ready for an international return, Ireland added: “Yes, I think so. The more I play for Stoke and more consistency I get, the more I can start looking at those options.”