OWEN Garvan has insisted he does not need to move from Ipswich Town in order to make his senior international debut.The 20-year-old midfielder has still to sign an extension on his contract which will end next summer and has always made clear his ambition to play in the Premier League.

Derek Davis

OWEN Garvan has insisted he does not need to move from Ipswich Town in order to make his senior international debut.

The 20-year-old midfielder has still to sign an extension on his contract which will end next summer and has always made clear his ambition to play in the Premier League.

Garvan, along with Blues team-mate Alex Bruce, was an unused substitute in Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland side that drew with Serbia at Croke Park and beat Columbia 1-0 at Fulham's Craven cottage on Thursday.

Garvan said: “There are a few Championship players in the Irish squad and as long as you are doing well then there is no reason a player from outside the Premier League can't break into the national side.

"It's unfortunate that I didn't get on for either of the games but overall I'm very pleased to be in the squad."

The Dubliner and Bruce have both been assured that even though they did not figure they would still play apart in the Irish set up in the future.

Town's player of the year Jon Walters is also hoping he gets a call into the senior squad after playing in the same Ireland 'B' team as Bruce against Scotland earlier this year.

Garvan gave his biggest indication yet that he might be willing to accept the offer of an extra couple of years to his contract and expects to sit down with Jim Magilton after returning from a couple of weeks in Dublin with his family.

Garvan said: “I'm just waiting to have a chat with Jim.

"I wanted to concentrate on being with the Ireland squad but now that's over I assume there will be a phone call in the next couple of weeks so we will have more talks then."