YOU HAVE GOT TO AZ A DREAM!

FINN AZAZ has described his Ireland debut as a dream come true and payback to his Cork born father who brought him up in a green shirt.

The Middlesbrough midfielder was given his chance by John O’shea on Tuesday against Switzerland, two years on since his solitary Under 21 cap for The Boys in Green. Eligible to also play for Israel and England, Azaz says he was in no way hesitant about choosing Ireland once the offer came.

The 23-year-old said: “It has always been a goal for me to play for my country and this is a really proud moment for myself but also my family.

“My dad was here to see me. He grew up in Cork and then lived in Dublin for a period. My family is down in Cork. My great uncle, Brian Murphy, was a famous hurler and was a dual player with football, too.

“I’ve been coming to Ireland since I was a child as my dad’s side of the family are still here. So it’s a dream come true.”

At club level, things have taken off for Azaz (above). Having been brought through the youth system at West Brom, Aston Villa signed him three years ago, but farmed him out on loan, to Newport County, then Cheltenham, finally to Plymouth.

That was where Michael Carrick spotted him, the Middlesbrough manager agreeing an undisclosed fee with West Brom in January.

Azaz said: “I feel like I’ve been slowly working up the leagues, just trying to prove myself. And yeah, playing for Ireland was one of the major goals of that journey.

“It’s been an amazing week. I want to say thank you to all the lads, to Seamus and the staff. It’s been great getting to know them and training with them.”