Evan Ferguson is back in the Irish spotlight – as he hopes to return to his national team.

The Albion striker missed the last international window due to injury.

He is back with Stephen Kenny’s squad after featuring in recent club fixtures.

The Republic host Gus Poyet’s Greece on Friday and visit Gibralter on Monday.

Ferguson was put up for questioning by the media at a press conference in the build-up to the games and asked how he deals with excitement about his progress, as well as speculation over his future..

He said: “I’m not sure, I think it’s just trying not to pay too much attention to it.

“Obviously, if you go on your phone you are going to see stuff, the positive and the negative, you are going to see it everywhere so it’s about trying to not concentrate on it.

“We have games coming thick and fast. It's hard to concentrate on stuff when you have games coming every three or four days.

“You see stuff and it all is just media talk. You have to try to concentrate on what you can control.

“There is a lot that goes on in the press and it's all just talk. There’s nothing I can control about that, so I won't let it affect me if I can't control it.

“When I ever want to speak to my dad, football is not first. He is my dad so football is not first. But if I ever do want to talk about football he does have that experience and knowledge.”