Marcus Harness wants to prove that he's a 'valuable member of the team' at Ipswich Town - and hopes that will one day lead to an international call-up.

Harness, 28, made his Premier League debut off the bench for the Blues in Saturday's season-opening 2-0 defeat to star-studded Liverpool.

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It was the culmination of a long journey for the versatile forward, who started his career at Burton Albion and played for the likes of Ilkeston, Aldershot and Port Vale on his way up the leagues.

Marcus Harness started his career at Burton AlbionMarcus Harness started his career at Burton Albion (Image: PA Images)
For the last two summers there's been speculation that he may be among those to depart the Blues, but he impressed in pre-season again and earned his chance in the top tier.

Asked if he thinks he'll get a good run in the side in the Premier League, he replied: “I don’t know, we’ll see.

"I hope so, but I don’t know to what extent.

“I’ll be here training as hard as I can and as well as I can – and if I get the chance, hopefully I can show what I can do and show that I’m a valuable member of the team."

Harness has bagged 12 goals for the Blues since arriving in the summer of 2022Harness has bagged 12 goals for the Blues since arriving in the summer of 2022 (Image: Steve Waller)
If Harness, who's played 87 games for Town and scored 12 goals, can keep impressing, he's hoping that leads to a long-awaited international debut for the Republic of Ireland too.

He declared himself as an Irish international back in 2019, but has yet to see action.

He was called up to the squad in November 2020 for a game with Bulgaria - something he called a dream come true and 'easily the proudest moment of my life' - but didn't make the matchday side.

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“I’d love to play for Ireland, but it’s something that I don’t really think too much about," he admitted.

“I’ve always believed that it will happen at some point. I need to play, and if I can play here and do well then who knows?

“Hopefully it will come  in the future.”