Cork City have announced the signing of Ireland under-21 cap Shane Griffin ahead of the 2017 League of Ireland season.
Last season's Premier Division runners up bring in the defender from English Championship club Reading, signing a two year deal.
The 22 year old told the Cork City official website that he was eager to link up with some familiar faces again.
"I first heard of Cork City’s interest last week and, as soon as I heard it, I was buzzing to get going. Now that I’m here, I’m delighted to have signed," he said.
"I would have played with John Kavanagh and Garry Buckley at schoolboy level, and also with Kevin O’Connor and Seanie Maguire on international duty. Speaking to the lads before I signed, they all gave me good reviews and said it is a great set-up here; how well they are looked after, how good training is, so it was an easy choice.”
"Everyone is hungry to do well and hungry to get better. It’s also a competitive squad, it’s not just eleven players, I think everyone is good enough and everyone is hungry to play. The first aim for me is to get in the team. For the squad, we want to go one better than last year and hopefully win the league."
Cork City manager John Caulfield was glad to bring in a player with ties to the locality.
"We are delighted. Shane is a local lad, 22 years of age and can play across the back four. He is very athletic, very good on the ball, has a great left peg and is the type of player we have been trying to bring into the club over the last year and a half," he said.
"Shane had done really well at Reading but a change of manager had set him back a bit, so he is coming again now and he is here for two years at a great age. He has been capped all the way through underage level; he has tremendous potential and it is up to us to get the best out of him. It is up to him to establish himself in the first team, he has a great attitude and we are looking forward to working with him. We have a strong core of Cork lads here and it is great to bring another local lad in."
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