Ronan Hale happy to bide his time for Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland switch

Ronan Hale is too busy enjoying life at Ross County to grow frustrated over the red tape holding up his international career.

The Belfast-born striker represented the Republic of Ireland at under-19 and U21 level but has begun the process of switching to Northern Ireland.

National team boss Michael O'Neill is eagerly awaiting the finalisation of the process as he looks to add firepower to his squad.

Hale was a regular scorer in both the League of Ireland and Irish League with the likes of Derry City, St Patrick’s, Larne and, latterly, Cliftonville, before moving to the Scottish top flight in the summer.

The 26-year-old has made a flying start and his penalty in a 2-1 defeat against Celtic on Sunday took his tally to seven goals in 11 matches for County.

Hale will spend the international break in the Scottish Highlands as Northern Ireland prepare to take on Belarus and Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League.

But the former Birmingham youth player will take the positives from his wait for senior international recognition.

"What I’ve heard is that it’s still with FIFA at the moment," he said. "I don’t know how long the process takes but, listen, it’s kind of good in a way that I’ve got to focus on my Ross County career.

"I’m playing with a smile on my face and enjoying scoring goals, so long may it continue.

"It’s been out there that I’ve switched. Obviously it’s more about getting the ball rolling and seeing where it goes. But at the moment I’m just really focused on Ross County and the international is a bonus."

Hale despatched an unstoppable penalty into the bottom corner past a motionless Kasper Schmeichel on Sunday after the Celtic goalkeeper had moved off his line to save the striker’s initial effort.

Having netted a brilliant