Ireland ready to make international return
Sunday, 17 February 2008 13:59Republic of Ireland midfielder Stephen Ireland has confirmed that he wants to play for his country again and will make himself available for selection by new manager Gionvanni Trapattoni.
Ireland has not played for the Republic since his infamous withdrawal from the squad in September when he lied about the death of his two grandmothers.
However, the Manchester City player told The Star: 'I'm available for selection, very much available. We need someone like him (Trapattoni) hopefully to bring it out of us and get us playing.
Ireland revealed that his club manager Sven Goran Eriksson had a major influence on his decision to make himself available to Trapattoni.
'When Sven heard that he was announced, he said it was a great opportunity for me to go back now because he is a very good coach and I will learn a lot.
'This did have an effect on my decision to return. I trust Sven you know. Whatever he says is good advice and he means well.
'I think there is a lot of talent in the squad and we can actually qualify for the big tournaments.'
