Patrick Bamford has put his international ambitions on hold until September after making a U-turn on switching his allegiance to the Republic of Ireland in time to play in June, according to Mick McCarthy.
The English-born striker had been in talks with McCarthy in readiness to play for Ireland in the summer but the manager has revealed that the forward, 25, has put his plans on ice.
Following a text message exchange, McCarthy had hoped to get Bamford’s registration transferred in time for him to be available to play for Ireland in June but it will now be September at the earliest before he pulls on a green shirt.
“I am disappointed because I think he is a really good striker and he will score goals for us,” McCarthy said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“But I do understand it, he has been out for a long time and they [Leeds] look like they are going to get promoted and he doesn’t want anything else going on in his head.
“He is not reconsidering, he’s in, he’s scoring, he’s playing and he just wants to focus on that. I told him he couldn’t play until June even if he set it all up now.
“I didn’t get a sense that he was hedging his bets at all. He wants to play and he wants to play for Leeds, let him crack on and see what happens.”
OPINION
This development will come as a relief to Leeds fans who recognise the huge importance of Bamford to their team. It’s not quite clear why the striker could not have got the ball rolling immediately with his registration, in order for him to play in the June internationals against Denmark and Gibraltar. By that point, the domestic season will be finished and the player’s commitment to his club will be over until the next campaign. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old has suffered rotten luck since signing from Middlesbrough for £7million last summer and understandably wants to focus on being in prime condition for the final eight matches of the Championship programme rather than committing to the documentation needed to switch international allegiance. He appears to want all his head space taken up with focusing on the club’s promotion hopes, and that can only be a good thing for his employers.