Larne boss Tiernan Lynch is confident Jordan McEneff “fits the bill” following the midfielder’s transfer from Derry City.

The 23-year-old has been signed for “an undisclosed fee” by the back-to-back Irish League champions and Lynch highlighted how “his ability at Derry City has been clear to see”.

McEneff spent six years on the books with Arsenal before returning to hometown club Derry City in 2022, counting a goal in the club’s FAI Cup final triumph over Shelbourne and leading goalscorer honour among the personal highlights.

“Jordan will be a great addition for us in midfield,” said Lynch on the official Larne club website. “His ability at Derry City has been clear to see and we feel he can bring that ability to what we’re trying to do here.

placeholder image — Jordan McEneff has signed for Larne from League of Ireland club Derry City. (Photo by Larne FC)

“We have talked before about not adding players just for the sake of it, they need to fit our culture and enhance what we already have in our changing room and we feel Jordan fits the bill on both counts.”

McEneff will be added to Larne’s European player list, with Lynch and his players preparing to face Lincoln Red Imps on Thursday in the UEFA Conference League play-off first leg.

“I’m delighted to be here,” said McEneff. “I spoke to the manager and chairman over the weekend and the ambitions of the club is really exciting, both in the league and Europe.

“Coming here to play football is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to get started.

“I’m a player who tries to get from box-to-box and like to assist and score myself where possible and, hopefully, I can do that here.”

Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins was quick to pay tribute to McEneff’s overall contribution, with the impact over the 2024 campaign disrupted by injury.

"Jordan picked up an injury early in our season and that really restricted his appearances this year,” said Higgins. "Age- wise Jordan's got time on his side but we're at the tail end of the League of Ireland season and this is a great opportunity for him to prepare for a full season, playing at a really good club.

"I want to thank Jordan for his time and effort here.

"He's a great lad and player and I want to wish him every success in his career going forward."