12 hours ago
Ireland star Finn Azaz ‘wants to play at highest level' with World Cup in mind amid transfer links with Premier League
FINN AZAZ knows the further he goes at club level, the further he will go with Ireland.
The
star
turns from the
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Finn Azaz addressed links with the Premier League
Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
2
He scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists for Middlesbrough in the Championship
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
That was in keeping with the form he showed for Boro that saw him score 12 goals and provide 11 assists in 45
Azaz's performances have made him a wanted man.
Under contract at Boro — who yesterday appointed
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But he also admitted that he has ambitions to play in a top league, and it does not need to be said that playing at a higher level would advance his
Azaz said: 'I'm playing at a high level now. The Championship is a really competitive league and it's a really good league. I think it's ranked sixth or seventh in
Europe
.
'I've got a contract with Boro of course, my focus is on
pre-season
at the moment.
'I'm really happy at my club. I've had a great year. I've got a lot of respect for everyone at the club and it's been amazing for me the last 18 months here. I had a great season personally so obviously I want to keep developing and my ambition is to play at the highest level.
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'Whether that be the
'I'm fully aware that there's a lot of Premier League players in the Irish team and I'm looking at the
qualifiers
and the World Cup
next
summer
.
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'I'm fully aware that you want to be playing against the best players week in, week out, to be in the best position possible for the
'In international
football
, the physicality of the opposition is sharper, it's better. There are higher quality players.
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'Look at
'People are sharper in the mind, quality is higher.
'It's a massive step up but I want to be playing at the highest level and I've got to prove myself at the highest level to show that I can play at that highest level.
'I felt confident and I felt comfortable in terms of level I'm at. I am still having to prove myself at international level. I feel like I have now.
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'But I'm not going to sit here and say that I've nailed down that position which I don't think is the case. But I always believed in myself and the
target
was to be a starter in that team and be one of the main players in terms of going forward and creating things. That's been my target for the last two or three years to be in that position, I believe that I could do it.
'And that's still the aim to become that player and to be starting in that position every game.'
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Azaz, 24, has looked at home on the international stage in his seven caps to date, and could easily fit into a continental side with what he terms 'comfortable' French and Spanish.
Indeed, he acted as Spanish translator for his pals on his recent holiday in South America that included visiting Machu Picchu, while he still alternates monthly between swotting up on the two languages.
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The former
'I wasn't looking at like, 'I want to play abroad', but I was just like, these are great skills to have and a lot of people are really jealous of it now, to be honest.
'In terms of moving abroad, all I'd say is that I'm happy now, but I'd be comfortable if the right opportunity arose.
'I'll be fully focused on pre-season. I'm not going to give a lot of my
energy
to things that are out of my control.'
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