Republic of Ireland Starlet Lee O’Connor Joins Manchester United
In Soccer – @flanagan_adrian speaks exclusively to @ManUtd new signing and @VillaFC1953 player Lee O'Connor pic.twitter.com/Hd2Ws3lyXM
— Waterford Sport (@WaterfordSport) April 19, 2016
Irish Independent: Manchester United complete Lee O’Connor transfer.
The 15-year-old is an attacking full-back who plays for his local club Villa FC, and will join Nicky Butt’s academy squad in July.
The captain of Ireland Under-16s has also represented Under-17 level and was named Ireland’s Under-15 player of the year last month.
He told the Waterford News & Star: “I suppose for me in the end it wasn’t a very difficult decision to make.
“From the moment I went over to Manchester United, I just knew that there was no point me thinking about signing for any other club and I always wanted to go there.
“I want to develop as a football player and I want to become the best player that I can be by signing for one of the biggest clubs in world football. It was the best place for me to go.
“It’s the place with the best coaches and the best facilities so in that way, it was easy.”
O’Connor recently received the FAI Under-15 Player of the Year award from Everton right-back Seamus Coleman, the player he is compared to.
The teenager is the first Irish player to join United from Waterford since John O’Shea, who joined United in 1998. O’Shea, who spent 10 years at Old Trafford before moving to Sunderland in 2011, was also born in Waterford.
