Aaron Connolly's showing on Saturday wasn't lost on his future Ireland senior team-mates.

The Brighton forward netted the first Premier League brace by an Irish player for 20 years when he scored against Tottenham.

Almost immediately afterwards, Mick McCarthy called him up to Ireland's squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Ireland centre-back John Egan got a glimpse of Connolly's performance en route to Sheffield United's Premier League game at the weekend.

"A few of us were watching on the bus on the way to the game and I obviously noticed he was starting up front," he said.

Great Guy

"He'd scored the first by the time we got to the stadium. So I was buzzing for him. A young lad from Galway, he's come in last night and seems like a great guy.

"If he keeps his head down, hopefully he's got a big future ahead of him for club and country."

Republic of Ireland Squad Training, FAI National Training Centre, Dublin 7/10/2019. Kevin Long, Aaron Connolly and John Egan ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Egan's prospective centre-back partner Kevin Long also had his say on Connolly.

"It's fantastic for him as a young lad," said the Burnley defender.

"Coming into the Premier League is not easy. He possesses a lot of pace and he's strong as well. So two goals on your full debut is a fantastic achievement for him."

You can watch the full press conference above via our YouTube channel.

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