Coventry-born Cyrus Christie was quick to commit to the country of his grandmother while others have dithered, writes Garry Doyle.
IN the end, it turned into an easy choice for Cyrus Christie.
The country of his birth may have feigned interest but the land of his Dublin-born grandmother possessed greater appeal, even if that was mixed with a degree of uncertainty.
“Will I be accepted?” the 22-year-old asked Richard Keogh and Jeff Hendrick, his Irish team-mates at Derby.
“Why wouldn’t you be?” they answered. But still, there was doubt. And then he remembered the stories his mentor, Lee Carsley, told him about his days in green.
Once lampooned, Carsley ended up as a cause célèbre towards the end of his career, when his Indian Summer coincided with Steve Staunton’s bleak winter.
A 5-2 defeat to Cyprus back in 2006 demanded change and when 14 players called in sick ahead of the next game against the Czech Republic, Carsley got the call.
He excelled and a popular member of the squad began to receive the recognition he had long been denied.
Now he is recognised for converting Christie from an average striker into a hugely promising full back, as well as convincing him to swap allegiance from England to Ireland.
“I rang Lee about three weeks ago and told him about Martin O’Neill ringing me and the choice I had to make,” said Christie.
“I explained how my preference was to go to Ireland and he said how he had the same options when he was younger and preferred Ireland as well because the lads are more down-to-earth and easy to get along with.
“That is what the best part of it is. I immediately felt at home here. As a footballer, you want to play. You’re more likely to be given an opportunity here.
“And the turning point was Martin ringing me whereas England didn’t really get in touch. They contacted my agent and it wasn’t the manager (Roy Hodgson) trying to get in touch.
“I think the personal touch of Martin O’Neill ringing me makes your mind up.
“Previously, when I tried to make people aware of my Irish eligibility, it never really came to anything. I’m just happy that it’s all sorted now.”
Equally as pleased is O’Neill. Having spent the last year scouting for new talent, the Republic’s manager was beginning to tire of knocking on doors that no one wanted to open.
Harry Kane, the Tottenham striker, turned him away. So too did Patrick Bamford, the young Chelsea forward who is on loan at Middlesbrough. Nathan Redmond, Norwich’s talented winger, said no. Stephen Ireland was Stephen Ireland and Jack Grealish is in danger of becoming the next Stephen Ireland.
With Christie, however, life was less complicated. He wanted in. End of story.
And last month we saw why he was worth the chase during Ireland’s 4-1 win against the USA.
Technically proficient, the 22-year-old also possesses blistering speed, not unlike Ireland’s number one right-back Seamus Coleman.
“Seamus has been the best right-back in the Premier League for the last few years and that was one of the main points of coming here because you can learn from him,” said Christie. “His presence here was definitely a selling point.
“Okay, with Seamus there it will be a tough one getting into the side but I’m happy to play left-back, centre-back or on the wing as well. If the manager wants me to play in any of those positions I can, and hopefully I can do the job.”
As a youngster at Coventry City he initially did a job as a striker before Carsley relocated him to defence.
“I like getting on the ball to do things with it. I haven’t been a defender that long, remember, having played up front and on the wing for most of my younger days,” he started.
“So I like getting on the ball in tight areas. And the teams that I’ve been at with Coventry and Derby have allowed me to play out from the back, to be expressive.
“The position of full-back is changing all the time and becoming more and more attacking. People are looking for attacking right-backs and changing their system to fit them in… which suits me.
“And I have to thank Lee Carsley for seeing that in me. It is not as glamorous as being a forward but the move has been great for me personally.
“I’m always willing to learn. I used to sit down with Lee all the time and analyse my game. Then we’d write down a plan and obviously improve on what we needed to improve on.”
Now he remains on a steep learning curve with international football arriving on his doorstep and, with The Rams sitting at the top of the Championship, the Premier League looks a realistic destination.
The 22-year-old added: “Truthfully, I’m not the most solid defender. I can do a job there and I’m improving all the time. I’ve been working on it for the past few years to make myself better there and dominate my winger.
“I think I’ve been improving in that aspect and Derby have helped me massively, getting me to work on different aspects of my movement while defending.”
Last month, he had to work on something different. Within the Ireland camp, a rite of passage demands that the new caps sing a song to ingratiate themselves into the squad. Christie delivered a rendition of R Kelly’s Ignition.
“I wouldn’t have the best of voices but it went alright. The lads have been fantastic welcoming me in.
“They’re all great guys, they have all helped me through. The likes of John O’Shea, Robbie Keane and Shay Given, who have all been there and are highly experienced, are great around the camp.”
