Eoin Wearen will fly the West Ham United flag at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals.

The Hammers midfielder will hope to be an influential figure for his Republic of Ireland side at the tournament, which will take place in Romania between 20 July and 1 August.

Wearen and his compatriots headed to Italy for a week-long training camp ahead of the finals, where they will take on Greece, Czech Republic and the host nation in Group A.

For the 18-year-old, being picked for the competition is the climax of a rollercoaster Elite Round qualifying campaign which saw him star in a 1-0 victory over mini-group hosts Poland before being sent-off late in a goalless draw with Ukraine - a red card that saw him suspended for the vital 3-0 win over Italy that secured Ireland's qualification.

"The first game was against Poland, who were the hosts so it was never going to be an easy game," he told West Ham TV. "We'd have been happy to come away with anything from the game and fortunately we came away with three points.

"That took us into the second game against Ukraine and we knew if we took anything from the game it would give us a great chance of qualifying and we managed to get a nil-nil draw.

"In the last game against Italy, we managed to cause a shock and won 3-0.

"Against Ukraine, I got my first booking in the 81st minute. We had to see the game out from there on in, but one of our players made a mistake in injury time and unfortunately I had to take a man down for the team and was sent-off and missed the last game."

Having served his one-match ban, Wearen is now free to take his place in the Irish midfield in their opening group-stage fixture against Greece in Buftea on 20 July.

The Greeks knocked Wearen's Ireland out of the UEFA European U17 Championship in 2009 and the West Ham player is eager to gain his revenge.

"I've had a nice four weeks at home to relax and chill out but now it's back to the hard work," he added.

"Hopefully we can do the business when we get there. We actually have a bit of history with Greece as they knocked us out of the U17 European Championship last time around, so we're happy to have them, especially in the first game, so we'll be hoping to get a result there.

"We don't know much about the Czechs but we expect them to be a decent side. We have Romania in the last game, and if they still have a chance of qualifying, they'll have the backing of all the supporters and it's always nice to play the hosts because you know it'll be a big game.

The tournament will be screened live by Eurosport, giving Wearen's friends and family the chance to cheer him on from home. The player himself is also keen to shine both individually and collectively in front of a continental audience.

"It's always nice for people back home to be able to see the games and you obviously want to go out and do well for yourself, for your team and for your country," he said.

"Our first achievement will be to get through the group. Spain and Turkey are in the other group, so we'll see who we can get from there, but our first priority is qualifying and after that we'll see how it goes.

"Can we win it? Why not."