Don’t judge me on my accent, I’m Irish and proud, says Cullen

Josh Cullen is a London-born midfielder and West Ham United employee and he has just been called up to the senior Ireland senior set-up for the first time as a late addition to Mick McCarthy’s squad. Well, there’s only one place to start, isn’t there? Cullen actually knows Declan Rice well. The pair shared digs briefly when they were teenagers with the Hammers and still keep in touch, not least this past week when they swapped text messages of congratulations for their respective national elevations.

Cullen, on loan this season at Charlton Athletic, spoke prior to Rice’s switch of allegiance to England about the choice facing his sometime teammate and he echoed yesterday what he said in January when pointing out that every case is different. There is also an understandable element of sympathy.