Martin O’Neill must believe 2014 is the year of the ram. The Ireland boss named three Derby County players in his final squad to take on Scotland and the United States. One of the Rams is uncapped defender Cyrus Christie.
O’Neill invited the right-back into his squad after he made himself eligible for Irish selection last month. The 22-year-old made his debut for hometown club Coventry City in August 2010. He made 118 appearances for the Sky Blues over four seasons before moving to Derby over the summer.
Christie was involved with Coventry City, through its youth set-up, from the age of eight. He qualifies for Ireland through a Dublin-born grandmother. The other newly-qualified player included in the 27-man squad is David McGoldrick. The forward, who was also eligible to play for Scotland, played with Christie in 2012/13 and has turned heads with Ipswich Town this season.
Christie scored three goals for the Sky Blues in the 2012/13 season and two of them featured in the club’s ‘Goal of the Month’ competition. His flicked header against Rotherham was good but it could not eclipse his brilliant score against Walsall took some beating.
Christie gained a measure of notoriety in February of last year when he kicked out at a pitch invader that held up his team’s league encounter with Crewe. The defender was booked for his Charles Bronson antics.
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Christie’s nine-year association with Coventry came to a tribunal-assisted end as Steve McClaren brought him in to replace Andre Wisdom, who returned to Liverpool only to be loaned out again to West Brom. So far this season the right-back has made 16 appearances, during which he has made 58 clearances and blocked nine shots. “We’ve got a great player and one we can develop… He is a full-back but he started his career as a winger; a striker. He can go forward and he can play; that’s the main thing,” says Derby boss Steve McClaren.
