Aidomo Emakhu: 'That’s what the best players in the world do and the level I’ve set for myself'

CHASING PERFECTION: Aidomo Emakhu poses for a portrait during a Republic of Ireland U21's media day at the Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

In the pursuit of the perfection Aidomo Emakhu craves, another goalscoring display for Ireland’s U21s against Latvia tomorrow would hasten the journey.

The Millwall striker, by being a former Shamrock Rovers teammate and neighbour of Sinclair Armstrong, has long been compared with Ireland’s newest senior international but the pair of teens can take slightly different routes to eventually forming Ireland’s strike partnership.

Both have played and scored in the Championship this season, deepening the pool of forwards between the ages of 18 and 23.

In a strange twist, some could interpret as serendipitous, it was the elevation of Armstrong from the U21s last month that created a gateway for his pal to clasp onto.

He duly delivered at Turner’s Cross by being sprung from the bench against Turkey to fire the winner in a come-from-behind 3-2 win.

A few days later, they swept aside San Marino 3-0 at the same venue, setting them up nicely for tomorrow’s first away assignment of the Euro qualifiers in the Baltics.

The duo from Clondalkin are reunited in Jim Crawford’s squad, with club form behind them to boost the Irish. Emakhu is no bolter, however, for as a 17-year-old scored the only goal of Rovers’ Europa Conference League win over Teuta Durrës.

“For me, it’s like I’m chasing perfection,” said the attacker, born in Dublin after his Nigerian parents emigrated to Ireland.

“It makes me always want to stay hungry, to stay achieving. I’m never satisfied and am my biggest critic. If I scored one goal, I think of the chance I missed because I should have had two.

“That’s what the best players in the world do and the level I’ve set for myself. That’s what I’m trying to reach.

“Football is always about the next game. Sometimes I look back at how far I’ve come in a two-year timeframe, feeling it’s gone so quickly from being in the League of Ireland to scoring in the Championship and the U21s. But you don’t get time to soak it all in because it's about the target coming after that.”

Someone in such a hurry was prepared to be patient for his cross-channel move. Rovers boss Stephen Bradley first knew of the precocious talent from his spell scouting for Arsenal, when Emakhu was entering his teens with his former club Lourdes Celtic.

He could have slipped away before Brexit rules removed that avenue but is glad to have waited to complete his studies. Those 400 points gained in the Leaving Cert are unlikely to be needed as back-up.

“I was on a few trials – the first with Chelsea at 11 – but wasn’t ready to go over,” he reflects with honesty.

“People agreed that I should finish my education, keep playing in Ireland and the time would come. I started living in digs when I first moved to Millwall at the start of the year, which felt like home because the people were nice, but I’m in my own flat now.

"I’m doing my own washing, paying bills, making sure rent is paid on time. It’s like being a parent at home, an important part of growing up and being independent.”

Friday: Euro Group A U21 qualifier: Latvia v Ireland, Jelgava (1pm, Irish time).