Former Galway United manager Shane Keegan was on The Football Show and praised Brighton’s Aaron Connolly for his performance against Tottenham.
Connolly, a Galway native, was massively impressive in his side’s 3-0 win over Spurs at the Amex Stadium today.
The 19-year-old scored two goals in his first Premier League start and Keegan felt he was unlucky not to have scored more.
“He just looks like such a natural goal-scorer. Realistically, he’s extremely unfortunate not to have five goals to his name.
“Because he’s had the one that was cleared off the line. He had the one that was hit off the crossbar. If he gets there half a second before his teammate today, he gets a hattrick.
“He was in the right place. He was going to nod it home only his teammate got there first.
“He could essentially have had a hattrick today and be sitting on five. He was extremely unlucky for those other two not to be scoring as well,” Keegan said.
The young forward, who has played for Ireland at various levels in underage football, was originally left out of Mick McCarthy’s squad for the game against Georgia and Switzerland but was called up on Saturday evening.
McCarthy explained his original decision by saying that they were, ‘not games for debutants’.
“I think Mick initially gave his reasons behind it when he said, ‘Oh am I going to use him?’ I thought it was interesting when he said he’s not going to get in ahead of James.
“He did then say, ‘He’s not going to get in ahead of McGoldrick.’ But it was James McClean he compared him to first because that’s where he has been used an awful lot at underage level,” Keegan explained.
Wherever Connolly may be used in McCarthy’s side, plenty of fans will be delighted to see an exciting Premier League teenager in the Ireland squad again.
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