Soccer:Stephen Ireland has expressed his interest in returning to the international stage nearly five years after last lining out for his country.

The Aston Villa midfielder insists he his more mature now than he was when he left the Ireland camp halfway through a Euro 2008 qualification double-header against Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

"Until the question comes from the FAI, or some kind of contact comes from them, I can't really think about it," said Ireland, who insists he is not seeking to be included for Euro 2012.

"Obviously I've matured as a person since then. Things are much more settled and I'm at a club where I am playing. Now the kids are putting pressure on me to play for Ireland.”

In September 2007, the then Manchester City player fabricated the ‘death’ of a grandmother as an excuse to leave and return to his heavily pregnant partner, Jessica. When it emerged she had, in fact, not died, he claimed the other granny passed away, which was also untrue.

He apologised after the whole episode, but on a number of occasions since, he has proffered scathing opinions on the international game and an ‘amateurish’ FAI set-up.

He has insisted the feels “nothing for Ireland” and in an interview with French football magazine So Foot, he said: “The national team and me are ancient history.”

Not so, anymore, it seems. Ireland says he and his circumstances have changed.

"Obviously it all could have been dealt with in a better way at the time,” he told the Daily Star. “But even if it had been I'd still have needed that big gap at some stage anyway.

"I just think it was a very difficult time. Jessica was heavily pregnant as well as having two children to look after. She wants me to go back and wants what's best for my career.

"But I really don't know the answer. It came across as if it was a burden to me to play for my country - but that's not the case."