Emmanuel Adegboyega: 'We have no one or nothing to fear'

NO FEAR: Emmanuel Adegboyega believes Irealand have nothing to fear when they take on Italy. Picture: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Emmanuel Adegboyega insists the Republic of Ireland have nothing to fear when they travel to face Italy in their decisive European U21 Championship qualifier.

With head-to-head matches acting as the tiebreaker, Ireland can still qualify automatically if they win away to Italy on Tuesday.

Failing that, they need Turkey to take points off of Norway to book a play-off berth.

With such a big prize up for grabs, Adegboyega isn’t dwelling on the late equaliser with denied them two points against the Norwegians.

“You can dwell on it as much as you want but it won't do us any good. All we can do is look forward to Italy.

“With the group we have, we can put it up to anyone. We have players playing in some of the biggest divisions in the world. We have no one or nothing to fear. Just go out there, work our hardest, and hopefully get the win.” 

While the late drama made it a bittersweet debut, Adegboyega did his family proud with his performance in the Irish defence.

“I knew late that I was starting. Home is far from Cork but they were watching on TV. I’m sure they were proud.

“It’s a moment I will cherish. It’s a bittersweet moment to concede at the end though.

“Playing for your country is something that can’t be underestimated. I have always wanted to play for Ireland and finally got the chance so all I can do is thank God for the opportunity.

“For me personally, I couldn’t have made it this far without God and without my faith. All I can do every day is thank him for how far I’ve come. A small boy from Dundalk now playing with my country so all I can do is continue to thank him.” 

The Norwich City defender has gone on loan to Dundee United and feels that playing at the highest level in Scotland is bringing on his development.

“As a young player all you need is minutes. The experience you gain from those matches you can bring in here and showcase what you can do on the big stages. It's the reason why I wanted to get as many minutes as possible.

“I think I started improving from the first two weeks! I'm just trying to build on it day by day and see where it takes me in this football game.”

As for his former Drogheda United teammates, Adegboyega will be cheering them on in the FAI Cup final.

“Going to play in the Aviva, I wanted to do that when I was in Drogheda but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance. I’m so happy for them to be able to do that.

“They were the ones who started it, my prep for my professional career. To the coaching staff, Darragh Doyle, Kevin Doherty, I’m just grateful for everything they’ve done for me personally.

“Hopefully, I get the chance to watch them in the Aviva on the biggest stage in Ireland. I’ll be rooting for them anyway.”