Gavin Whyte hopes Derry City move can re-ignite Northern Ireland career
GAVIN Whyte hopes he can catch the eye of Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill by impressing for new club Derry City.
The 26 year-old attacker opted to return to Ireland after eight years plying his trade in England and is hoping his move to the League of Ireland can help him return to the international fold.
The ex-Portsmouth man has been capped 30 times and admits he would 'love a few more' appearances in the green and white.
"Definitely," he answered when asked if he would like to play his way back into O'Neill's plans.
"That's a big aim for me. The reason I probably didn't come to the north [Irish League] was because I wanted to play at a higher level.
"I think down south is a better league, with more fans. It's a better standard of football than the north.
"Don't get me wrong, the north is a really good league. It's competitive and getting better but I just felt down south suited me more and hopefully I go in and start playing well and hopefully Northern Ireland come back on the scene and I get another call-up.
"I've never ruled that out since I've come home. I always wanted to play for Northern Ireland and loved every time I have. I've 30 odd caps which has been alright but I'd love a few more."
Since returning home to Belfast from Portsmouth, Whyte has been keeping himself ticking over by training with his old club Crusaders.
A full pre-season with Derry will get him back up to speed and he’s looking forward to getting his sharpness back with a string of games for his new club. ”I was doing just one to one sessions but there's only so much of that you can do before you think you need to start with a team.
I was training with Crusaders there for a few weeks to keep myself ticking over. Obviously the manager there is a good friend of mine and he said to come in and join in with the team and get yourself a bit sharp.
"I'm not as sharp as what I should be but I've been out of the game and you're not going to be.
"The preseason was massive as well. Obviously I was speaking to clubs up in the north and they're midseason. I want to get proper sharp before I start the season.”