Sometime Ireland defender Alex Bruce could shift his international allegiance north of the border – four years after his Ireland debut.
Bruce has represented Ireland at U21, B and Senior international level but has dropped off the radar under Giovanni Trapattoni.
And after a solid season with Leeds, the son of Sunderland boss Steve is now mulling over the possibility of throwing in his lot with the North.
That would see him become one of a handful of players to have pulled on the international shirt of both countries during their careers.
Stars of the 1940s and ‘50s such as Johnny Carey and Tommy Eglington represented both sides at a time when the FAI and IFA had jurisdiction over the whole country.
These days, the boundaries are arguably even more blurred with Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington and officials miffed that Northern-born players such as Shane Duffy, Marc Wilson and Darron Gibson have been persuaded to throw their lot in with the Republic.
Bruce, who is eligible to play for both Ireland sides, England, Scotland, Mozambique and Mars under Fifa’s parentage rule, would be one of the first to make the move in the opposite direction.
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