Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara is facing a "difficult decision" this summer, when he expects to make a final call on whether or not to play for the Republic of Ireland.
Giovanni Trapattoni has made no secret of his desire to coax the left-sided player into his international set-up but has been keen not to rush him.
O’Hara, who spent last season on loan at Portsmouth and played in the club’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, is expected to make a decision before the start of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
The 23-year-old, who qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents, has played for England at Under-21 level but has never been selected for the senior squad.
“I’ve always loved playing for England so I wouldn’t want to upset anyone or disrespect the Irish people as well, because I’ve got a lot of family in Ireland,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s going to be a difficult decision to make and I don’t want it to become a big deal in a way.”
O’Hara could also be moving clubs if manager Harry Redknapp cannot offer him any hope of first-team football at White Hart Lane.
“If I can’t break in there and Harry pulls me in and says I’m not going to feature as much as I’d like, then hopefully I’ve done enough this year to earn a move to a decent Premier League club.”
O'Hara was one of the few positives for Portsmouth this season and was instrumental in their run to the FA Cup final. His inclusion in the Ireland squad, were it to happen, would be a big boost ahead of the qualifiers which kick off away to Armenia in August.