James McClean has responded after seeing that West Ham ace Declan Rice could pack in playing for the Republic of Ireland amid discussions over switching allegiance to England.
The London-born enforcer has earned three cap for Ireland, but Martin O’Neill has confirmed that the 19-year-old is mulling over his international future after talks with the FA.
That saw ex-Ireland international Kevin Kilbane hit out at Rice, before controversial Stoke winger McClean also weighed in on the debate, even though he switch allegiance from Northern Ireland after playing in their Under-21s side.
“Bang on lad,” said McClean on his personal Twitter account when replying to Kilbane. “Representing your country should be an honour and a proud moment.”
https://twitter.com/JamesMcC_14/status/1034185397180542977
OPINION
McClean always like to put himself in the centre of controversy and while it was his choice to play for Republic of Ireland over Northern Ireland because of his political beliefs, he can hardly talk about this subject when Rice was actually born in England and has the potential to be a regular for the Three Lions. If Rice believes he can play for England, then he should be allowed to take that path without criticism because it shows that he is much more determined to play for a better national team than one who struggles to qualify for major tournaments. The expansion of the World Cup and European Championships obviously mean that Ireland are more likely to qualify in the future, but if Rice gets to the level that is expected of him then he could be appearing for the Three Lions in these tournaments. McClean, who reportedly refused to train with the West Brom squad before moving to Stoke in the summer, should really stay in his lane.