Finn Azaz savours trip of a lifetime while hoping he'll have football equivalent with Ireland next summer
FINN AZAZ went for high altitude and Machu Picchu this summer as he aims to scale heights with Ireland next year.
Middlesbrough midfielder Azaz, 24, was given this summer off by Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson so he is fresh for the new season.
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His emergence has come as a welcome help to Ireland's midfield issues
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The spectacular view at Machu Picchu that greeted him and his friends
Credit: Getty
And Azaz undertook a trip of a lifetime with pals to South America, with the hope he has another one at the North American World Cup with Ireland next year.
Azaz said: 'I went on a little travel with my friends. I went to Machu Picchu which was amazing.
'We like to get to places where most footballers probably wouldn't go.
'We actually went to Rio, Peru — Machu Picchu — and Colombia.'
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He travelled after speaking to Hallgrimsson who decided to give most of his players at Championship clubs the summer off.
The English second tier ended at the start of May and Hallgrimsson departed from the norm by not asking many of those to play in June after a month of inactivity.
But he told them it was so they were fresh for the start of the World Cup qualification camp in September and having no summer off next year.
Azaz added: 'Not many managers would have considered that in terms of that kind of longer-term thinking which I appreciated. I had a few niggles as well.
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'I agreed the main focus had to be on September.
'It's going to be a huge six months but I'm ready for the challenge now.'
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