UCD have signed midfielder Jack Keaney from Sligo Rovers.
The 20-year old midfielder has joined the Students on a scholarship programme. Keaney's a former Republic of Ireland U19 international who has already made 54-appearances for the Bit-O-Red.
Sligo manager Liam Buckley says the move had been on the table for some time, "We are sorry to lose Jack from the squad. He has had this offer from UCD for a couple of seasons.
“He has decided, at this final juncture to do so, to take it up and we respect that decision.
“Jack has made great strides and for a man of his age he has had a big influence on the pitch, as well as off of it. He can be very proud of that progress made.
“As a club we do not want to lose any player. Our education partnership will help that cause going forward. The underage system here is very good and it shows that players get opportunities.
“We are likely to lose one more player come the end of the month but we will look to bring in one or two to add to the squad. We will update on that shortly.”
Addressing the Sligo faithful, Keaney says, "This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, and I want to thank everyone at Sligo Rovers, and the Sligo Rovers fans, for all the support they have given me over the last number of seasons.
“When I arrived at Sligo in January 2016 as a kid and I leave here not only having grown as footballer, but more importantly as a person too.
"I also want to take this opportunity to personally thank Danny O’Leary, Niall Harrison, Colm Jinks, Dave Robertson, Gerard Lyttle, Kevin Deery, John Russell, Liam Buckley, Brian Dorrian and my teammates, who have all been instrumental in both my personal and professional development.
“This is special club that will forever hold a place in my heart, and I want to wish everyone at Sligo Rovers all the best for the rest of the season.”
Keaney's arrival at Belfield goes against the tide of outgoings from the club this summer with Neil Farrugia, Gary O'Neill (both Shamrock Rovers) and Conor Davis (Derry City) among those leaving the SSE Airtricity Premier Division strugglers.
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