James Abankwah says he is “buzzing” at the idea of adding an Ireland Under-21 debut to his recent first start in Serie A.
The former St Patrick’s Athletic defender made the first-11 for Udinese’s clash earlier this month with Juventus, two months after a substitute appearance against Bologna.
He was on the pitch for an hour before succumbing to cramp - and shortly after his departure Juve scored the only goal of the game.
Abankwah (19) followed up his club breakthrough with a call-up to Jim Crawford’s 21s for this week’s trip to Austria, where they are due to face Ukraine on Friday evening.
“Obviously I got my second appearance there in Serie A and first start against Juventus, and then thought I did quite well for the minutes I was on the pitch,” he said.
“Then to get the call-up for the 21s, I was really buzzing with that. I feel like it’s a great achievement for myself and my family. I’m just looking to give my all.”
Abankwah featured in Tom Mohan’s Under-19 squad for their doomed bid in March to qualify for the European Championships.
Once that campaign ended, his focus shifted to winning an Under-21 call.
“I feel like that was one of my targets for the year, trying to break into the 21s squad,” he said.
“I had the 19s and I was quite focused on them. But as soon as that was over, that was one of the main priorities for me, trying to get into the 21s squad.
“Thankfully I’ve been able to do that.”
Abankwah feels he is a better player thanks to his first season in Italy.
“It’s been great. It’s been very tough as well,” he said. “Coming from Pat’s, going into a team like Udinese in Serie A, training-wise, match-wise, it’s just been very good for me.
“I’ve learned a lot and gained a lot of experience there, and I’m trying to use all that experience in the matches and training here. It’s been very good.”
He has come a long way from his time at Letterkenny Rovers - the first of many stops on his way to Serie A.
“I started at Letterkenny Rovers and then went to Melview in Longford. Then from Melview to Cherry Orchard to St Pat’s and from St Pat’s to Udinese,” he said.
“It’s been a great couple of years for me. It wasn’t easy though, travelling up to training when I was at Longford, travelling to Dublin.
“People did question it, saying there were teams in Longford, why travel all the way to Dublin?
“But I knew what I wanted to do and I knew how far I wanted to go in football. I was dedicated and thankfully it has worked out really well for me.”
READ NEXT:
Rory McIlroy avoids US Open media duty as PIF merger remains in the news
Conor McGregor splashes over €1,100 on toys for his children
Hampden Park hero Amber Barrett seals switch to Standard Liege ahead of World Cup
Jorge Masvidal wants Conor McGregor 'banned' from Miami after mascot gets hospitalised
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
