Michael Keane has admitted he used the Republic of Ireland‘s youth teams as a stepping stone to play for England at senior level.
The Everton centre-back was born and raised in Stockport but qualified to play for the ROI due to his Irish-born father, and played for both the Under-17 and Under-19 sides before jumping ship and declaring for England.
The former Man Utd defender has since played for the Three Lions first-team five times since 2017 and he’s since admitted he always had an eye on switching allegiances from a young age.
Speaking in an interview with BBC 5Live, via JOE, Keane was asked about Declan Rice’s recent decision to switch from Ireland to England, and said: “I always felt like I belonged with England, that’s why I always dreamed of playing for England.
“When I was with Ireland, I wasn’t good enough to play for England at that time. And I was only young and small and still developing.
“I had in the back of my head that hopefully one day I could play for England.
“I know when I switched, I felt really, really English.
“My dad’s Irish, but I don’t know any of his Irish family, so I’ve never really felt like I’m fully Irish.
“I don’t know how Declan feels, but that was part of my thinking behind my choice.”
Keane has been called-up to the current England squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro, but do Ireland fans have every right to be annoyed by his actions?
What do you make of his comments?
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