Stephen Mallon has announced his decision to switch his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland back to Northern Ireland.
The Belfast man, currently on loan at Derry City from Sheffield United, initially played at international level for the North before switching to the Republic. He played for Stephen Kenny's Ireland U21 side at last summer's Toulon Tournament.
"I got a phone call today (Sunday) to say I am in the Ireland U21 squad but I’ve actually chosen to go to the north," the winger told The Derry Journal.
"It’s been going on for a long time. I haven’t just come up with it and made the decision within a week or whatever. It’s been thought out over a year.
"I’ve had chats with Stephen Kenny, Ian Baraclough and I spoke to Michael O’Neill about it when he was manager. I had a conversation with Stephen Kenny today and let him know I’ve made my decision. He said he was disappointed but wished me well."
The 21-year-old feels that playing for Northern Ireland offers him "a clearer pathway" than playing for the Republic. He said that the decision was one made with his family and added: "It’s more of a decision made with my head rather than my heart. I’ve grown up always wanting to play for Ireland but I feel switching to Northern Ireland is a good footballing move for me.
"It’s not about religion or anything like that, this is a football decision."
Last month, Mark Sykes made the decision to switch his allegiance from the North to the Republic.
Photo by Alexandre Dimou/Sportsfile
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