“My life goal is to manage Ireland,” says the Premier League manager persuaded to play for England

Former Leeds and Reading manager Brian McDermott wants to make up for missing out on an Ireland playing career by leading the boys in green.

“I never played for Ireland, which I should have done. Don Howe suggested I play for England under-17s. I wasn’t English, though I was born in Slough; I was Irish,” explains McDermott in Living on the Volcano, The Secrets of Surviving as a Football Manager, Michael Calvin’s book which was released this week.

McDermott’s father hails from Sligo and his mother from Clare, but he admits he wasn’t a strong enough character to pledge his allegiance to Ireland.