JACK BYRNE HAS revealed that he turned down offers from clubs on the continent after joining Blackburn Rovers earlier in the week.
In an interview with BBC Lancashire Sport, Byrne said that his priority was to earn promotion with his new club, though he is also looking to impress Boys in Green boss Martin O’Neill.
Ireland U21 international Byrne was invited to train with the senior squad last March ahead of friendlies against Switzerland and Slovakia, and Byrne says it was a memorable experience.
“I was very proud when I got the call-up. I was only 19. It was unexpected, but obviously people were saying I was doing well out in Holland, and thank God Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane took note of it. Obviously, being up there, you get a taste of it and you want more of it.”
However, playing with Blackburn means Keane or O’Neill will be more likely to watch the youngster in action, with Shane Duffy, Anthony Stokes and Darragh Lenihan also expected to feature at Ewood Park in the coming season.
“My bread and butter is Blackburn, so hopefully if I’m playing well, I’ll be in (O’Neill’s) thoughts,” the 20-year-old midfielder said.
Byrne also says the challenge of playing in the Championship was a prospect he couldn’t resist.
That’s part of the reason why I came here and didn’t go back to Holland. I had options in France, I had options in Israel, I had options everywhere. Maybe people don’t know me that well in England, but because I played in Europe, a lot of people know me around Europe.”
Elaborating on his stint with SC Cambuur in Holland last season, Byrne added: “That’s what you have to do nowadays (go abroad). There are so many young talented players in England so maybe you have to go out and do something different to catch the eye.
“It was a big step for me to go over there and take a chance like that and thank God it paid off.
“It was (a challenge), on the pitch and off the pitch. I didn’t have many friends over there… It was a bit lonely at times. But I was over there purely for football and for me at that time, at 19 years of age, going on 20, it was the best thing for me to do.
All I concentrated on was football, football, football. I went in in the morning, trained, went home, slept, woke up, trained. That was my routine over there.
“It was a great experience and one I’m grateful for.
It was probably better for my experience that the team was where they were (battling relegation) and not mid-table and comfortable, and it was okay to lose the ball in front of the back four and lose a goal. It wasn’t that way at all, every pass had to be precise, every set piece had to be precise.”
Byrne, who has played as both a defensive midfielder or a number 10 says he is happy to play wherever the manager wants in the team, and adds that he is hopeful of breaking into the Man City side one day.
“I believe if given the opportunity, I possibly could play for Man City. I don’t know, I haven’t been given the opportunity yet. But that’s the reason I’m at Blackburn… Not everybody’s going to play at Man City, and there’s no shame in that. But you want to give yourself the best opportunity to play for Man City, and I felt that coming to Blackburn and playing for Owen Coyle would give me the best opportunity to play for Man City.
“I’m looking forward to getting going, and I knew after a five-minute phone call with Owen Coyle that this was the right choice.”
Listen to the full interview here.
