Jason Knight hopes to impress Stephen Kenny by starring for Derby County before the World Cup qualifiers later this month.
Midfielder Knight, 20, made his Ireland debut last October against Finland and is a key man for the Rams under Wayne Rooney.
Kenny's charges begin their World Cup quest away to Serbia on Wednesday, March 24, and host Luxembourg at the Aviva Stadium three days later.
Knight will have those dates at the forefront of his mind over the next couple of weeks.
He said: “You want to be in those plans for big games in the World Cup qualifiers.
“Hopefully I can keep improving and playing a lot of games to force my way into the squad.”
Rooney - who was appointed permanent Derby boss in January - has described the Dubliner as a 'manager's dream'.
But the Manchester United legend has called on the former Cabinteely man to contribute more in attack.
“I think it's been a really good season personally for me, playing a lot of games,” Knight added.
“But there’s still a lot more to come from me hopefully. I want to get more goals and more assists and keep improving my performances week in, week out. Hopefully that’s what I’m trying to do now.”
