Over the weekend, reports have emerged suggesting that Republic of Ireland midfielder Denise O’Sullivan will be cutting short her Liverpool spell in order to return to the US.

After a decade on the other side of the Atlantic mostly with the North Carolina Courage, the Cork woman signed for Women’s Super League side Liverpool for a club-record fee in January.

But the Irish centurion looks set to head back Stateside on an initial loan with an obligation to buy and the destination this time, according to BBC Sport, appears to be Gotham FC.

One of the upsides for the 32-year-old in moving to England was to reduce the commute at club level for the benefit of her international career.

But given she has huge experience in handling the challenges of coming forward and back from the US, former Ireland team-mate Rachel Graham is confident that a return to North America will not unduly affect her as she bids to help Ireland qualify for next year’s World Cup.

“If Denise is fit and injury free, she’s in your squad no matter what,” Shelbourne’s Graham told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast as she reacted to the reports about O’Sullivan’s apparently impending move.

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“So it’s probably an easier decision for her to go back to America with the fact she was there for nearly ten years. Her life is there, her fiance is there.

“I think the plan was she would always go back to America, that’s just where her life is now, so it probably wasn’t surprising, just maybe how short of a term it was at Liverpool.

“It kind of felt like more of a loan deal and I think (Liverpool) spent £300,000 to get her over which is obviously a lot of money.

“If you’re spending that on someone, you’re probably thinking more than six months.

“But if they get €350,000 for her, I think Liverpool are probably weighing it up and saying, ‘We’ll get our money back, we won’t lose out here.

“They got Denise for six months, helped them avoid relegation which was the plan why they got her in.

“So it’s probably the best case for both teams where Denise is maybe more settled in America and that could potentially be good for us, although she has to travel.

“If she’s happier in her football, she’ll play better, she’ll train better. So it might work out better for us even though she might have to travel. But she’s done it for ten years, I’m sure she’ll be able to manage.”

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