Ireland's newest recruit, Jake O'Brien, claims he always believed that he would one day make the Ireland squad, even though he is a self-proposed "late developer."
O'Brien came through the Cork City youth system and played with the likes of Adam Idah, Nathan Collins, and Jason Knight for Ireland, but his time with Ireland only came in the under-21 category and not in the lower age groups like his peers.
Now at Ligue 1 side Lyon in the midst of a European chase, O'Brien has finally been called up to the Ireland side for the games against Belgium and Switzerland.
Speaking to the media this week, O'Brien, a 6'6" centre back, claims he wasn't physically ready to ply his trade at the senior level until his late teens.
"Despite this, O'Brien always held the belief that he could represent his country one day, and that day... "I was a late developer in size," he said. "I wasn't as physically developed enough to compete with these players. It was only at 16 or 17 when things started coming for me in terms of physicality. When I was in Cork City, it was about putting it together—physicality and development—before going over to England.
Cork , Ireland, September 12, 2020: Jake O'Brien is having a medical at Ligue 1 side Lyon (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) )"Ever since I was young, I always believed I could play for Ireland," he added
"It was more about patience and taking the opportunity when it came. Everyone develops at different stages, and for me, it was a later stage than other players, but I always believed in myself."
John O’Shea’s assistant, Paddy McCarthy, was his coach at Palace, and analyst Stephen Rice is familiar to O'Brien from his time in England. O'Brien says he is happy to have McCarthy around the Ireland camp because of the advice he can entrust to him.
"It’s good to have Paddy around to lean on and ask for advice," he added. "He knows what he gets out of me, and I know what I get out of him."
Republic of Ireland will take on Switzerland at Aviva Stadium on March 26
