Pompey move is Gunner be good for Irishman Curtis

Yet Ronan Curtis considers himself a fully-fledged Irishman.

The Republic of Ireland under-21 international has returned to England following Pompey's successful capture of the attacking talent.

He left these shores at the age of 10 '“ departing Croydon after his mum led the family to settle into her Irish home of Derry.

Now aged 22, the time away has spanned 12 years.

It is an Emerald Isle period Curtis credits for modelling him as both a man and a professional footballer.

And there can be no doubting where his loyalties lie.

He said: '˜I consider myself Irish.

'˜My grandad is from Cork and my mum from Derry '“ most of my family are from Ireland.

'˜I was born in England and lived there until I was 10, then we moved to Derry. So I grew up more or less in Ireland.

'˜People comment on my accent being English and, I admit, that is weird.

'˜A lot of my friends tell me that but it's one of those things.

'˜I'm still Irish but I also want England to do well.

'˜I'm actually an Arsenal fan, although I like Crystal Palace as well.

'˜They were round the corner when I was growing up and I used to watch them.

'˜Arsenal are my favourite team, though.

'˜Funnily enough, there are quite a few English lads in the Republic of Ireland under-21s because they also have relatives from Ireland.

'˜Some of them play for Yeovil, Liverpool and West Ham.

'˜It was Derry where I got my chance in football. I impressed in a tournament and was taken on by their under-17s for two months before the first-team manager promoted me into his squad.

'˜I was a little tiny fella and then shot up while playing with these older players.

'˜They took me under their wing, treated me well and made me who I am today.

'˜I've been at Derry for five years and given a lot to them. It's a long time at one club.

'˜Now Portsmouth is a step up and I am ready for the challenge.'

Curtis has already impressed in pre-season since his summer switch from Derry City.

Capped seven times by the Republic of Ireland under-21s, he's convinced the move to England can bolster international recognition, perhaps even towards senior level.

He added: '˜The under-21s are doing really well at the minute, hopefully playing with Pompey can get me into the seniors.

'˜It's really hard to get noticed in Ireland. Don't get me wrong, there's loads of talent in the League of Ireland but it's easier to get spotted in England.

'˜There are more scouts and more games in England, so it improves your chances.

'˜And my ambition is to definitely go higher with the Republic of Ireland.

'˜The under-21s last played in March when we beat Azerbaijan 1-0 in the European Championship.

'˜We now look favourites to go up from Group 5, with our next game against Kosovo in September.'