It can be easy to forget Gavin Bazunu is still only 20, his composure and assuredness on the pitch belying his years. But the fearlessness of youth remains.
When the Euro 2024 draw pitted Ireland in the same group as France and Holland, the immediate reaction of some seasoned Irish fans, scarred by the past, was possibly to surrender their hopes and yield to that perceived inevitable disappointment of missing out on yet another major tournament.
Bazunu watched Ireland’s group take shape but his reaction was not of dread, rather it was one of “excitement.”
“I want to play against the best in the world. I want to challenge myself against the best, so to see the top-quality nations in the draw was exciting,” he said. “For me, it’s the confidence of the anticipation of facing these top players and knowing that if these guys are the best in the world, they are the best to compare yourself against. If there had been an easier draw sometimes that can add even more pressure. To be up against the best is where we all want to be.”
Then again, that is what he has been doing all season as Southampton goalkeeper. Bazunu, with 15 starting appearances, has participated in more Premier League games this campaign than any other Irish player.
He has been an ever-present at St Mary’s since joining last summer and despite Southampton’s worrying start to the campaign - they are second bottom of the Premier League table and Nathan Jones last week replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl as manager - Bazunu’s performances have been solid.
The former Shamrock Rovers netminder signed for Man City in late 2018 and had successful loan spells with Rochdale and Portsmouth before signing for the Saints. He has looked right at home in England’s top tier.
“It’s been a busy couple of months, I’ve enjoyed it, getting to play Premier League football and adapting to the speed and the level of the players, it’s been really enjoyable,” he said.
“I think the fact that I had been exposed to international level really helped with the step up. It wasn’t going from League One and straight to the top level, I’d been exposed to that quality of opposition, which definitely helped.”
Bazunu hopes to build on his Ireland career at the Aviva on Thursday night when Norway come to town. However, rarely has there been such high-level competition for the Ireland goalkeeper’s jersey as there is within the current squad and it was telling during his press conference on Monday that Bazunu almost spent as much time fielding questions about Caoimhín Kelleher and Mark Travers as he did on himself.
“All I can focus on is my own performances, all I can do is go and perform as well as I can every week and show the manager what I can do,” stated Bazunu. “But I am sure he is going to have a headache because we’ve got really good goalkeepers.
“We’ve got a really good goalkeeping group between myself, Mark, Caoimhín and Dean Kiely [goalkeeping coach]. We’ve been working together for a number of years now and anyone who watches the sessions will see that whoever’s playing, the other two will support. We all have each other’s back and we really enjoy training together.
“For me, when I see Caoimhín do well like [last week in a shootout win over Derby] it’s brilliant because it pushes me on. I’d like to think the others think the same, when I do well I hope it pushes them on.
“As a group I want both Caoimhín and Mark to be playing in the Premier League week in, week out. I want to be coming up against them every few games in the Premier League because that is what’s special about your fellow countrymen, you want to support them and you want them to be playing at the highest level as well.”
Bazunu made his first senior Ireland appearance against Luxembourg in March 2021 and is currently viewed as the man holding the jersey. It has been quite a journey over the last four years – one that has included a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty save and picking up the Portsmouth player of the year award.
“I wouldn’t have set myself a strict schedule in terms of what I was looking to do,” added Bazunu. “I’m proud of my progress in the last four years in the UK. All I can do is set targets as high as possible and be as ambitious as I can and try to reach them.”
Meanwhile, Bristol City’s Mark Sykes has been called up to Stephen Kenny’s squad for this week’s friendly internationals at home to Norway on Thursday and away to Malta on Sunday. Will Keane and Scott Hogan have withdrawn from the squad because of injury.
