Stephen Ireland has indicated that he would be open to a return to the Boys in Green.

But he has implied that the next manager must meet him halfway before anything concrete happens.

Answering a question from the crowd at the Off The Ball Roadshow at Vicar Street, John Giles felt that is wrong.

"Stephen Ireland hasn't actually said that he wants to come back. What he's actually said is that he hopes somebody can get in touch with him. He's done that through his wife a couple of times. 

"The one thing he has to say is that 'I am available for selection' and it's up to the manager of the day to pick him or not. He's saying it's 50:50. But he hasn't kicked a ball for three years. The main thing he has to do is to start playing at club level."

Listen to John discussing the Stephen Ireland situation. You can also listen to the full Thursday Night Football with John Giles podcast on iTunes: