O’Neill fears England lure

Martin O’Neill says England have intensified their efforts to secure dual-eligibility players and has confirmed Jack Grealish, fresh from his Premier League debut for Aston Villa, has asked for more time to consider his international future.

Amid renewed English interest in the Birmingham-born player who was capped from U15 to U21 for Ireland, O’Neill yesterday revealed that he has spoken to the 18-year-old and his father about committing to the senior Irish team but added he doesn’t want to bring too much pressure to bear at this point on what is obviously a delicate situation.

“He’s got a number of options and he’s felt comfortable playing underage level but it’s a totally different thing to committing yourself to senior football,” said O’Neill.”