Carpe Diem: Meyler looks to seize the day

His career has been stalled by two horrific knee injuries but now he is fit again and having secured the promise of regular football on loan at Hull City, David Meyler is ready to impress Giovanni Trapattoni ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Greece at the Aviva Stadium and reach what he terms the ‘pinnacle’: break his way into the international team.

 

 

The 23-year-old made his senior debut in September in the convincing win over Oman in London and is desperate to get another opportunity to show his worth: “It’s the pinnacle of any footballer’s career. It’s a great honour. You look at players like Robbie Keane, John O’Shea, Damien Duff, fellas who’ve done it for years. 

 

 

“That’s what a few of us young lads are trying to emulate, that we can do it for so long as well. Come Wednesday night I’ll be dying to play and I’ll be desperate to play.”

 

 

The former Cork City midfielder, who was sent on loan to Hull by parent club Sunderland recently, is hopeful that he will feature at some stage: “I’m hoping that if I train well enough then I’ll be able to get a game. I’ve played two out of the last three games, I’m looking forward to hopefully playing.

 

 

“It’s down to myself, I’ve got to work as hard as I can and I’ve got to impress the manager. That’s what I intend to do. We’ve got another training session before the game Wednesday and I’m looking forward to impressing as much as I can.

 

 

“I’ve got to train really hard and play really well. You’ve got to seize the moment, grab the opportunity as it comes in front of you. I’ll hopefully leave an impression.”

 

 

Greece are 12th in the latest FIFA World rankings, while the Republic of Ireland lie in 36th. And though some of their most highly-rated players are absent, Georgios Samaras is on a good run of form at Celtic and remains a huge threat for the Greeks. 

 

 

With the top tier of the Aviva Stadium expected to be closed and some predicting a crowd of below 20,000, Meyler says that the team want to close out a disappointing 2012 with a win for the fans following some poor results of late, the low-point being the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Germany: “It’s the last home game (of 2012). It’s in front of the home fans, and we want to do well for them.

 

 

“Greece will be a tough side, they’ve players playing in Italy and Germany. And Samaras up front, he’s a phenomenal player, and they’ll be coming here looking to beat us. We’ll be at home and won’t want to lose.”

 

 

In terms of his club career, Meyler has struggled to break into the Sunderland team as a result of his injuries. Yet Martin O’Neill has been very supportive of Meyler since he took over as manager, and that’s something that the midfielder acknowledges. 

 

 

Although things have been tough for him, he says he believes that he is good enough to break into the Sunderland team: “The manager has been fantastic with me since day one. He’s been very supportive. When he came in he wanted me to go out and express myself. I got to play a lot but then the lads hit such good form when he took over, we won 16 out of our first 19 games.

 

 

“It’s very hard to break into a winning team, then we went into a stage where we didn’t play so well but the lads turned it around. It’s hard to break into a team that are doing so well but I’ve got to keep working hard. I have no doubt in my own ability and confidence that I can break into that team.”

 

 

The move to Hull, where he will play under Steve Bruce for a second time, means Meyler will get an opportunity to get some more games under his belt. It’s early days yet, but he’s enjoying it so far: “I’ve only trained twice and played a game. It’s new but they’re a fantastic bunch of lads. Obviously working with Steve Bruce before was a major factor in me going there. Paul McShane is there and Robbie Brady, another Dublin lad, it’s a good bunch of lads. 

 

 

“They’re doing terrifically well, they’re fourth in the championship, and they’re looking to push up to the Premier League and I’ve a feeling they will cause they’ve a great squad and a great club.”