Sunderland's Irish prospect Conor Hourihane is happy with his first season in England.

The 17 year-old midfielder will start for Sunderland in tonight's FA Youth Cup semifinal against Manchester City and admits he has to keep quiet over claims manager Roy Keane made a personal visit to his Cork home last year to sign him.

"I've been asked a couple of times about the Roy Keane story (visiting his parents house) before, but that is confidential," Hourihane told The Journal.

"He was a massive influence on me, that is obvious. He is one of the best players the Premier League has ever seen and when I knew he was interested, that was it, I was never going to sign for another English club. Roy Keane is a hero in Ireland, but in Cork he's like a God. People love him. There is a strong regional identity in Cork and the people back home love to see someone from Cork do well.

"I was extremely flattered to know he wanted me to come to Sunderland. I was a Manchester United fan as well and used to go and watch them play at Old Trafford when the manager was still a player."