Shamrock Rovers ace Jack Byrne hoping to impress in Champions League in order to force his way back into Ireland squad
JACK BYRNE believes that a summer being Shamrock Rovers’ locksmith in Europe is the key to forcing his way into the Ireland team.
Rovers ace Byrne, 26, was on standby for Stephen Kenny’s squad for this month’s Nations League games, though a calf problem suffered three weeks ago also hit his international hopes.
He is back in training and should be ready for the Hoops for next week’s league clash with Dundalk.
But he has watched on as frustrated as any fan as Ireland have lost to Armenia and Ukraine.
Both games were crying out for a player like Byrne who can provide a creative spark — and the Hoops man would back himself if given the chance.
But the Dubliner believes he needs to show more this summer when Rovers go into Champions League action. He said: “I feel that I’m capable of affecting the games I play in at a high level of international football.
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“I think I’ve shown that in the games I played when I stepped up to that level.
“We have big games coming up in Europe and the league. We want to push on. I need to hit peak form which I don’t think I’ve done.
“I feel I’ve played well but could still play better, getting more goals and assists.
“I spent a lot of time out last season and I’m quite happy with how my body is now and how I’m feeling.
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“The main aim for the start of the season was really getting a lot of games under my belt that I’d missed out on last year. Hopefully I can kick on over the next few weeks.”
Byrne has won four Ireland caps — two under current boss Kenny — but has not featured in any squad since November 2020.
He missed all of 2021 — the first half through injury and the second half as he was without a club after leaving APOEL Nicosia.
He was then overlooked by Kenny in March.
But the Ireland gaffer is a regular at games in Tallaght and Byrne believes that from now on it is about showing he is back to his best.
JACK TO HIS BEST
Considering when he could last say that about his form, he added: “It was probably my second season at Rovers when we played in Europe.
“When I started playing the likes of AC Milan, I was getting a lot of goals and assists.
“The same was the case in the season before, doing really well in Europe, and when the internationals came around in October I made my debut.
“It’s not only a good summer, or a good month or a good two months, that’s not why I want to be back at Shamrock Rovers.
“I’m aware if I do well in Europe, we’d be playing at high standards against good teams that you don’t get to test yourself against on a daily basis.
“I know how important that is, not just to get back to Irish squads but for the club.
“The club has been brilliant for me, they brought me back here, showed a lot of faith in me.
“I’d like to repay the faith they’ve shown in me bringing me back. I want more nights like Brann, Limassol, AC Milan. I want to go deep in the competition.”
EURO TRIP
The Champions League draw takes place next Tuesday and the Hoops are seeded in the first round, though Byrne acknowledged that could mean nothing.
He added: “You’ve got to be mindful of the draw. You’re looking at Sheriff . . . Dundalk beat them a couple of years ago but they went on and beat Real Madrid in the Champions League.
“You could be looking at a team and thinking, ‘That’s a fair draw. We could have a chance against them’. You go and play them. They could have six or seven new players.
“You don’t really know until after the first leg.
“But there is no point hiding away from it, it’s vitally important for me and the club.”
Meanwhile, Byrne threw his support behind Aviva’s Lace up with Pride campaign yesterday.
He said: “It’s very rare that I’ve been in a dressing room where everybody has been from the same background, you always get people from different backgrounds, from different walks of life.
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“It’s important to make sure everybody feels included and feels like they can be themselves.
“That’s not only sexuality, that’s whatever their personalities are, every dressing room I’ve been in has been really good at accepting everyone from whatever walks of life they are and whatever they want to be and we try to encourage that.”