His old club had him nicknamed the ‘Irish Xavi’ – but Jake Doyle-Hayes insists half the legendary Spaniard’s ability will do him at St Mirren following a move from Aston Villa.
The Republic of Ireland U21 international’s signature was highly coveted by clubs north and south of the border. It’s the Buddies who have claimed him, following his spell at Premier League Aston Villa.
When on loan at Cheltenham Town from Villa last year, he earned those Xavi comparisons after excelling in midfield. He’s explained how that came about and what fans can expect from him in Paisley.
“If I can play half as good as Xavi did I’ll be doing ok,” Doyle-Hayes said. “I think the nickname came from the fans at Cheltenham. I didn’t really know about it until a few of my mates said to me that I had been given a new nickname.
“Obviously I was delighted. I suppose there are worse nicknames to be given. The way I play, I like to get attacks going, to create a lot of chances for my team-mates and make a few goals here and there.
“I know myself I need to add a few goals to my game so that’s something I really want to improve on. But I’ll give 100 per cent in every game and be aggressive when we don’t have the ball.”
Doyle-Hayes was taken from local boys club Cavan-Monaghan to Aston Villa in 2017. The chance to work with Irish legend Roy Keane, who was then Villa’s assistant manager, a key factor in his move.
He only made three senior cameos before leaving Birmingham in the summer. A loan spell last term at Cheltenham Town fully exposed him to senior life and he’s looking forward to more of that with Buddies manager Jim Goodwin.
“I follow the Scottish Premiership, it’s a really competitive league,” the Irishman said. “When I spoke to the manager he seemed really enthusiastic about getting me up here.
“He spoke well of how he wants to play. Cheltenham was a massive experience. They had some really experienced players in the team. I learned a lot. If you lose an U23s game it isn’t the end of the world.
“The first team environment is all about three points which is the main thing.”