Stephen Ireland is well remembered for his time at Manchester City where he briefly shone under Mark Hughes before falling out of favour with the club. The talented Irishman was touted for great things but saw out his career with Aston Villa and Stoke City without achieving any of the heights expected of him.
Playing as a midfielder just like his father Josh has been able to become one of the stars in the stoke academy setup. Following his good performances, he was called up to represent England at the under-15 level in February. He made his debut against Belgium and was impressive hitting the post with a well placed shot in the 3-1 defeat.
Josh is among the group of budding youngster currently at Stoke City Academy which is gaining a reputation of producing some of the best young players. fellow u-15 teammate Charlie Edward is one of the top talents in the club.
While the under-18 stopper Nathan Broome also recently made his debut for England u-17 team in February. Exciting winger Abdou Toure has impressed during his time at the club academy and has been in the reckoning for France under-18 squad.
It would be interesting to watch the career of these youngsters particularly Josh Ireland to see if he can enjoy the same level of success as his father.
Meanwhile Ireland Sr. is currently without a club after leaving cash strapped Bolton Wanderers in December. The 32-year-old had secured a short-term deal with Bolton after leaving Stoke City in the summer but terminated the contract after six months.