LAST UPDATE | 10 Nov 2021

AS HE prepares to line out at the heart of the defence for two crucial upcoming Ireland U21 qualifiers against Italy and Sweden, Jake O’Brien has been reflecting on how he reached this level.

The 20-year-old Corkonian is a perfect example of how there is no one set pathway to develop as a footballer, as O’Brien’s journey has been very much an atypical one.

Often playing alongside Cardiff’s Mark McGuinness at centre-back for Jim Crawford’s team, the Irish defence is certainly not short on height or physicality, but O’Brien wasn’t always this way as a footballer.

It is only recently that national coaches have begun to notice his promise as he was not a regular presence in Irish squads growing up.

“I have been a late bloomer, to be honest,” he says. “Growing up I did every sport, between hurling, football, boxing but at 15 had to pack it in to concentrate on soccer.

“I was small growing up. You wouldn’t think it. I put in three or four years of hard work.

“I shot up at the age of 16. I was in the gym a lot and it paid off.”

Focusing on soccer was not necessarily an easy decision, as O’Brien had plenty of talent when it came to other sports.

“I played for Youghal, a big club and for Cork up to U14. We won the All-Ireland hurling title and I packed it all in after that.”

And were there any current Cork hurlers on that team?

“There probably were, but I’m not even sure.

“I won a national boxing title as well and thought about pursuing that too. I was called into the Ireland squad but packed it in.

“Football was definitely my number one. I had to make the call to focus on my football career.”

So while he could potentially have been winning All-Irelands or competing at the Tokyo Olympics, O’Brien has certainly not done too badly so far on his chosen path.

He joined the Cork City academy at 16 and spent three years there, working with former Ireland international Colin Healy both at underage level and when he took over as first-team manager. The defender then made his debut for the senior team against Derry City two seasons ago and went on to play “nine, 10 games in the League of Ireland”.

He adds: “I think that’s definitely given me the physical aspect of the game, and how fast play can be, especially in the First Division in the League of Ireland.

“I’m grateful for getting those games under my belt.”

Eventually, Crystal Palace came calling, with two Irishmen in Stephen Rice (who has since left to become chief Ireland scout) and Paddy McCarthy both on the coaching staff at the time.

He signed for the Premier League outfit last February, joining on loan initially before the English club exercised the option to buy during the summer.

“It helped that Stephen and Paddy were Irish,” he says. “They watched a few of my Cork games and I went over for a 10-day trial, playing two games and training. They took me on loan with the option to buy and decided to do that after only three or four weeks. I was delighted with that.”

Last week it was announced that O’Brien had signed a new contract with the club, keeping him there until 2024 as he aims to make a first-team breakthrough.

So having made some significant steps in recent months, does the youngster feel a first Premier League appearance could be close?

“It’s hard but I’ve done a lot of training. Patrick Vieira’s style of play is something I like and suits me. He’s very helpful to the youth players.

“He’s already bought two centre-backs but towards the end of the season, I’ll be looking to break through and show what I can do.”

A January loan move is another option that is not necessarily out of the question.

“We’ve said that there will be a few more conversations towards January. Whether I got on loan or not is up to the club. We haven’t had that deep conversation but I expect it in the next few weeks.

“Losing the first round of the League Cup was unfortunate but I’ve trained a lot with them and have seen the standard.

“[Palace assistant boss] Osian Roberts is there and Patrick Vieira was Manchester City’s U23 coach. The whole style is about keeping the ball and that suits me.

“I see myself as a ball-playing centre-back. I don’t just boot it up with no notion of keeping it. I can mix it up.

“That changed since Patrick came in. It’s all changed in the last few months, a change of culture.

“The whole academy is new, it was in the middle when I went over first.

“[Patrick] has been very helpful in the advice he’s given, [it’s about] being patient and all that and over the next few weeks and few months, hopefully, the chance will come.”

Making the Ireland senior team is, of course, another long-term goal for O’Brien. The competition at centre-back is particularly strong. At 19, Andrew Omobamidele is younger than him. Fellow senior squad member Nathan Collins is only a few weeks older, while Dara O’Shea — who would almost certainly be in Kenny’s panel were it not for a long-term injury — is also in a similar age bracket at 22.

O’Brien is optimistic he can soon follow suit.

“There’s definitely a pathway,” he says. “Especially with the trust Stephen Kenny has in young players, I think there are definitely chances there and a few good games for the U21s could get you a call-up.”