Kevin Foley keen to win back spot in Republic of Ireland set-up
Ireland defender Kevin Foley is on the look-out for a new club after a shoulder injury ended his stay at Danish club FC Copenhagen
A Shoulder injury has put an end to his Danish dream but former Ireland international Kevin Foley is keen to build on his experience in Scandinavia.
FC Copenhagen continue their Europa League campaign against Czech side Jablonec tomorrow, but Foley - last capped in 2012 - will play no part as he's severed his ties with the club. Currently sidelined with the after-effects of surgery on a shoulder injury, the 30-year-old will head to the English FA's HQ at George's Park next week for a three-week intensive treatment programme and once he's fit again Foley hopes to find a new club.
And while his six-month experiment in Denmark didn't go as well as planned, his spell there opened his eyes. "I'm out of contract now so my focus is on getting fit and finding a new club for the season ahead," Foley told The Herald.
"I joined Copenhagen on a six-month deal in January and my plan was to do well enough to get a longer-term deal but I dislocated my shoulder in one of my first games, I struggled on with it but eventually I needed surgery. Once that happened, the manager there said he couldn't justify giving me a new deal as I would be out for a while.
"While Denmark didn't work out as well as I'd planned and it was frustrating for both me and the club, I still enjoyed my time there. I learned a lot, even though I didn't play as much as I'd have liked due to the injury, we won the cup and finished second in the league, it's a massive club.
"The Danish league was a different way of life, a different way of training and I am much better for the experience, in England it's still 100 miles an hour but the Danish game is slower, more technical.
"It wasn't meant to be for me but I had a great time there, hopefully now I can get fit and get a club," added Foley, who has not closed the door on another foreign trek.
"I know Irish lads like Andy Keogh (Thailand) and Darren O'Dea (India) have gone to clubs outside the UK so I won't rule anything out, once you go abroad once you are open to anything."