KIERAN Sadlier hopes he can catch the eye of the Republic of Ireland scouts again in League One next season.

The Bolton playmaker had been on the cusp of an international call-up a couple of years ago, only to miss out through injury.

Sadlier, whose grandfather comes from Tipperary, came through the Irish youth set up with Jack Grealish before his switch to England.

He hopes that with regular football for Bolton and some success on the pitch, that he can stake a claim to play for his country at senior level.

“I played from Under-15s all the way up to Under-21s and when I was at Doncaster, I was in four of the provisional squads,” Sadlier explained. “I never travelled but I was in those squads when I’d had a good season.

“The aim when I went to Rotherham was to play regularly in the Championship with and break into the senior squad. But I didn’t play enough due to injury and stuff, so I just kind of decided that club football is the main aim. Get in the team and do as well as you can there, and hopefully at some point my form will get recognised by the senior squad.

Amadou Bakayoko travelled to play for Sierra Leone last week and Dion Charles has also been brought into a training camp by Northern Ireland in preparation for a string of Nations League qualifiers this summer.

Wanderers have a handful of players who have international aspirations and Sadlier says he is no different.

“Obviously, that is my aim - I want to be in the senior squad, one 100 per cent,” he said. “There is no reason why I shouldn’t want to be in there. Playing against unbelievable players, top-class players, I think it would be brilliant. But I need to work hard and be consistent to get in those squads. It is a long-term aim of mine.

“Baka and the lads who play international football in the squad, it is good. It is experience and it is an honour to play for your country. I have represented them since I was 15 years old so it is the country I want to represent. My aim will be to get into that squad at some point.”