Republic of Ireland Under-21 star Jack Grealish insists he is in no hurry to make any decisions on his senior international future after telling Martin O'Neill he wants to concentrate on his club career for now.
Amid rumours England are keen for him to switch allegiance, the Birmingham-born 19-year-old met with O'Neill last month to tell the Ireland boss that he wasn't interested in a senior call-up at this stage and wanted to focus on breaking into the Aston Villa first team.
Grealish, whose father Kevin is from Dublin, has represented Ireland from U-15 to U-21 level but could still switch to England unless he makes a senior competitive appearance for the Boys in Green.
“Things have just happened very quickly for me this season and I need to put on my club future first before thinking about the international situation,” Grealish said in the Irish Examiner.
“My father and I didn’t want to go into the meeting and Martin being like ‘come on and play for Ireland’.
"He didn’t put me under pressure to make a decision. He sat me down, treated me like a man and talked through everything.
"It wasn’t just about football but growing up as a footballer and where my grandparents are from in Ireland.
“That’s what I wanted to hear from Martin because it is a big decision to make and one I want to take my time over.”
"He didn’t put me under pressure to make a decision"
Grealish also revealed that Ireland midfielder Stephen Quinn had tried to rile him in Villa's recent Premier League clash with Hull, when three Hull players were booked for fouls on the youngster in just 15 minutes.
“He called me a Fake Paddy,” laughed Grealish.
“That’s what I have to expect though now. Football banter can be like that and I’m not a kid anymore so there’s no problem.”
Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane said last week that Grealish would be a welcome addition to the fold.
"He is a really good player." said Keane.
"But obviously, we are not putting him under pressure. We would love to have him on board - he is a really, really good player.
"We know we haven't got a massive group of players to pick from, so if he comes on board, it would be absolutely fantastic because I think he has got a chance of being a good player."
