Brighton and Hove Albion's Neal Maupay was full of praise for Aaron Connolly after the young Irish striker's debut season in the Premier League.
The Galway native made 24 appearances in the Premier League for the Seagulls, scoring three goals along the way.
Connolly announced himself to the world though when he marked his first league start with a stunning double against Tottenham Hotspur.
“His celebration sums him up really well. He has confidence in himself and as a striker you need that. He knows how to score goals. When he did that celebration when he scored against Spurs he was kind of saying ‘you know who I am now, I’m Aaron Connolly’. It was brilliant," Maupay said.
“Everyone was so pleased for him. I remember my first goal which was amazing and he got two which he will remember for the rest of his life. He’s been scoring goals his whole career so he knows what he is doing.”
Connolly was rewarded by Brighton with a new four-year deal back in July and looks to be major part of their future.
“Aaron is a young player and he is learning. It was his first season in the Premier League, but he has got really good qualities. I like him because he has such a high confidence in himself," Maupay said.
“In training every day he scores goals, he’s not shy to shoot, tackle and compete. We have a really good relationship and at the end of training we do finishing drills together. Everyone likes him because he’s always smiling."
The 20-year-old also made the step-up on the international stage, earning two caps under Mick McCarthy in Ireland’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Georgia and Switzerland.
Connolly was a major part of Stephen Kenny’s success with the Ireland under-21 team and he has been included in Kenny's first senior squad for the forthcoming UEFA Nations League meetings with Bulgaria and Finland.
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