HEALY LOOKS TO REPAY BOSS

David Healy is grateful to Lawrie Sanchez for rescuing him from the Football League and aims to repay the Fulham boss by proving he can thrive in the top flight.

Healy has been reunited with former Northern Ireland coach Sanchez after completing a £1.5million move from stricken League One club Leeds last Friday.

The 27-year-old has a remarkable international scoring record of 29 goals in 59 performances and is convinced he can be equally prolific in the Barclays Premier League.

"I don't know why I haven't played in the Premiership sooner," said Healy.

"People have opinions on the game and people obviously thought I wasn't good enough to play at the highest level.

"But I've worked with Lawrie before and he knows my capabilities. Now it's up to me to prove him and the board that I am the right man for Fulham.

"Lawrie's given me the opportunity to play at the highest level and I want to repay that. Hopefully I can prove him right."

Healy tops the scoring charts for Euro 2008 qualifying and his tally, 18 of which came in 24 appearances under Sanchez, includes strikes against England, Spain and Sweden.

But the former Manchester United trainee has consistently struggled to scale those heights in club football with unspectacular spells at Preston and Leeds failing to produce the same results.

"It didn't go so well for me at Leeds because of a combination of factors," he said.

"We weren't doing well as a team, we weren't doing well as a club and I wasn't doing well as an individual.

"We weren't creating the chances that other teams created. If you look through the records I was their top goalscorer for the last two years.

"Everybody says I wasn't doing too well but what does that say about the rest of the boys?

"You've got to be strong whatever level you play at. It would have been easier for me to stay in the Championship but I want to play at the highest level.

"Everybody talks about the Premiership being the best league so I'm grateful for the opportunity to experience it."

Healy is one of four Northern Ireland internationals who have arrived at Craven Cottage this summer with Aaron Hughes, Steven Davis and Chris Baird also linking up with Sanchez once again.

"Hopefully we can prove we are well worth the money. We are going to enjoy it," he said.

"The lads are up for it. Before I came in the lads were taking bets on which other Irish players would be coming in, but I think four is enough."

Taken from =football365=