Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson has revealed he held crunch talks with Stephen Ireland after a series of controversial incidents.
"After what happened I sat down with Stephen," Eriksson said. "I showed him the FA's letter. I don't think he hates football. He loves to play and he loves to practise. He comes out in a T-shirt and shorts, even if it's freezing cold for a Swede. He runs so much he doesn't feel the cold. I think he's a good boy. When we were young we all had some problems.
"He's playing very well and scoring beautiful and important goals that win games for us. It seems he was frustrated every time he went with the national team, but now he's calm, training very well, working very hard."