ASTON Villa starlet Jack Grealish is a step closer to making his senior debut for Ireland.
The winger has been the focus of intense international speculation following a tug-of-war for his signature.
The English born player has represented Ireland at U17, U18 and U21 level.
But according to The Irish Times, it seems that Grealish, who recently signed a four-year contract extension with Villa, is finally ready to commit to the green shirt.
While it is unlikely Grealish will appear in Ireland’s qualifier against Scotland – given that Martin O’Neill will not want to disrupt the first team euphoria on the back of the Germany game – Grealish is expected to feature against USA four days later.
And while this decision doesn’t take England out of the equation entirely, as it will take an appearance in a competitive fixture to set his allegiance in stone, it would be highly unlikely for Grealish to backtrack.
A proud representative of Ireland since the age of 14, Grealish showed his support on Twitter after John O’Shea’s last gasp equaliser on Tuesday, tweeting: “COYBIG” (Come On You Boys In Green).
And he appears to have a good relationship with O’Neill, who previously allowed the youngster time to decide on his international allegiance while he planned his immediate future at club level.
Grealish has made a number of impressive cameo appearances for Paul Lambert this season, and was on the radar of a number of clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, before penning a new contract with his boyhood club.
Going from strength-to-strength as he matures with age, Grealish is highly regarded as a star graduate from Aston Villa’s famed academy, and was an intrinsic part of the U19 team that won the NextGen series tournament in 2012-13.
With the next four years ahead of him at a competitive Premier League club, Grealish will now be determined to make a first team position his own – something that will most certainly benefit Ireland going forward.
