'David Meyler Was Very Good To Me When I Got Injured' - John Egan
Martin O'Neill has been hit with a bit of a defensive crisis in the build up to Friday's 2018 World Cup qualifying clash with Wales but one of the newest squad members is refusing to get too carried away regarding his chances of playing.
Defender John Egan has caught the eye of the Republic of Ireland boss since his move to Brentford from Gillingham last summer but the player was cautious when asked about his expectations for the week in Irish camp.
"I can't really expect too much, it's my first call-up but if I'm called upon in either game I'm ready to go."
The Cork native expressed his desire to earn the respect of the other players in the Irish squad, some of whom he knows quite well.
Egan cites Hull City midfielder David Meyler as an inspiration from his time at Sunderland when, like his fellow Rebel County man, he suffered a major setback with a serious injury.
Meyler spent months sidelined with two consecutive ligament injuries between 2010 and 2011 while in 2012 Egan suffered a very serious leg break on-loan from the Makems at Bradford City.
"I was with Meyler at Sunderland when he had his injuries and I just seen his attitude coming back twice from bad injuries.
"It really put my mind at ease that I knew I was going to get the best physio care and all that when I did mine. To be fair to Meyler he was very good to me when I got injured, helped me a lot in the rehab and that.
"When you see someone come back from an injury it does give you hope that, it's a long road, but it's a road that you can get to the end of.
"Thankfully for me I got through it with no problems and got back on the pitch which was the main thing."
Egan faces his first press conference as an international squad member - ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
A brief loan stint with Southend in the latter half of the 2013/14 season proved to be the catalyst for a transfer to Gillingham that July.
It was with the Gills where he really started to establish himself as a senior pro footballer, playing 92 games over two seasons and, notably for a centre-back, scoring 11 goals.
The 24-year-old turned down the offer of a new contract with Gillingham and was signed by Championship side Brentford last July.
"It's all gone well this season", Egan says of his time thus far at Griffin Park.
"It's been a bit of a long journey, a few setbacks along the way but if you keep the head down and just keep working hard and get out on to the pitch and show people what you're about, you'll get there in the end.
"It's been good so far so long may it continue."
There is one man who the new Boy in Green would love to be around to witness his ascent to the international scene, a man who wore the green and gold of the Kingdom with distinction.
The late John Egan senior was a Kerry great, winning six All-Ireland senior football medals, nine Munster senior titles and five All-Star awards between 1975 and 1984.
"It's great for the family. Obviously it's times like this when you're getting called up to the national team, you wish he was around a bit more."
Egan's mother was also a fine athlete, winning a League of Ireland medal with Cork Rangers while she also represented Kerry in camogie.
"For my Mam and my sister and cousins, they're all over the moon. So it's great to get a bit of recognition and it just shows that you're doing something right on the pitch which is the main thing.
"As I said if you're performances are good, recognition will follow and that's the main thing really."