The Euro 2020 decision that Portsmouth winger Ronan Curtis will be aiming to take advantage of

The coronavirus crisis has pushed back this summer’s Euros by a year, allowing domestic leagues across the continent the time to finish their respective seasons.

A blow for anyone who had their tickets, flights and hotels booked, but the sensible choice indeed.

Now the tournament is taking place 12 months later, it gives players additional time to catch the eye of their national managers.

Undoubtedly, squads that had provisionally been earmarked will now change.

In terms of England, the likes of Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka have been backed to make a senior breakthrough.

And from Pompey’s perspective, it affords Ronan Curtis a little longer to nail down a place or even a starting spot should the Republic of Ireland qualify.

The winger was in the frame for a call-up for Eire’s play-off in Slovakia this month before the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to it.

It would have been rich reward for the resolve he displayed after being omitted for Mick McCarthy’s last get-together in November for games against New Zealand and Denmark.

A dip in form at the beginning of the campaign meant he was left out of the set-up, which was undoubtedly a hammer blow.

But rather than allowing it to shatter his confidence completely, it instead proved the catalyst for an upturn not only in his form, but also his club.

Heeding the advice of Keny Jackett and his backroom staff to start varying up his game after a spell out of the Blues’ starting line-up, Curtis’ response was emphatic.

He subsequently registered 10 goals and 10 assists in 26 games, propelling Pompey firmly into the League One automatic promotion picture after a stuttering start.

Throughout that period, McCarthy lavished praise on the former Derry forward on several occasions. The sound bites suggested Curtis was primed for a recall.

Had Ireland qualified for the Euros this summer, a berth in the squad would have been a serious prospect.

A support-act role, however, is what he’d have likely been restricted to at the tournament.

Curtis has won only three caps so far, with his sole outing since McCarthy took the reins from Martin O’Neill a 3-1 friendly win over Bulgaria last September.

He’s found the likes of James McClean, Callum Robinson, Jeff Hendrick, Sean Maguire, Aaron Connolly and Callum O’Dowda ahead in the forward positions.

Those anmes are performing in either the Premier League or the Championship, giving them an advantage in terms of the competition they’re facing week in, week out.

But fast forward a year and who’s to say Curtis won’t be operating at those sort of levels.

Only in his second season in the Football League and turning 24 in less than a week, Curtis’ career is still on an upward trajectory.

He’s already surpassed his goal tally of last season with nine league games and a Leasing.com Trophy final to look forward to when the season does eventually recommence.

If Pompey do yield promotion, it would provide a chance for Curtis to go up against second-tier opposition on a weekly basis.

That means a greater platform showcase his talent, as well as coming up against better defenders consistently. He'd inevitably continue to improve and mature.

What’s more, it would give McCarthy a better barometer to measure Curtis against his Eire competition.

Should his exploits be similar or even better than his rivals then it’d leave the Boys In Green manager with little choice than giving Curtis a prominent role for his nation.

In 12 months’ time, we could even see Marcus Harness in the reckoning to be part of the squad.

He’s a player McCarthy is aware of, although sporadic starts rather than a sustained run in Jackett's line-up haven’t helped his cause.

And despite the flak Sean Raggett received at the start of the season, who would now doubt the centre-back becoming an international given his miraculous turnaround.

After all, it's Raggett for Ireland not England!