He'd said it before, but not like this - Damien Duff will be joining a League of Ireland team, and he'll be doing so within two months.
The former Blackburn, Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham player who is currently playing for Melbourne City has always stated his intention to some day return to play in the national league, but now it seems a date has been set. The next step is to find a suitor.
Duff has been sidelined by ankle and calf injuries of late and when asked wether he would consider following fellow Irish man Robbie Keane to the MLS the Dubliner insisted that; "the only flight I'll be taking now is back home to Dublin.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here in Australia but I think Ireland will be my next port of call. I’ll be home now in the summer. End of April/early May I’ll be home for good, I’ll be looking for a job so that’s the plan,” the 36-year-old 100 time capped Irish international told RTE’s Soccer Republic.
“I think that’s in our blood, I’ve played in games over here in 40 degree heat and after 20 minutes you’re ready for the game to finish, so I think at times like that you miss the rain and the snow and the wind, so I’ll be looking forward to that side of it to be fair.
“It’s been great. I always wanted to do something like that, whether it be the States or Oz just to go travel for a year.
“Obviously to play football, but that’s out the window now so I will be travelling. But I always wanted to try a year abroad somewhere before I went home and I’m doing that now, ticked the box and, yeah, as I said, home is the next port of call.”
Duff made his named as a fresh faced winger for Blackburn Rovers before lighting the 2002 World Cup up with some stirring performances which earned him a transfer to Chelsea where he won two Premier Leagues.
