Aston Villa amongst clubs 'tracking' Northern Ireland's record-breaking teenager
Premier League trio Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Brighton are reportedly amongst the clubs weighing up a move for record-breaking Northern Ireland teenager Liam Kelly.
Aged 15, Kelly became Derry City’s youngest-ever player in a competitive fixture when he was introduced as a substitute in Monday’s 1-1 Premier Division draw against leaders Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium.
Kelly’s maiden League of Ireland appearance came just a matter of days after he had collected his U16 and U17 Northern Ireland caps from ex-international star Aaron Hughes, who is now Technical Director at the Irish FA.
A member of the JD Academy, midfielder Kelly has attracted significant transfer interest with Football Insider reporting the aforementioned top-flight trio and Championship outfit West Ham United are “all tracking the teenage sensation”.
Former Larne manager – and current Derry City chief – Tiernan Lynch believes Kelly has a bright future ahead of him.
"Our academy manager and academy need to take great credit for that, Mark McChrystal and the coaches,” Lynch told League of Ireland’s social media after the match. “We can cry and complain about the situation we’re in, but it always opens the door for somebody else.
"Great credit to the two kids (Kelly and Terence Doherty) because this isn’t an easy place to come, but as everybody knows, youth are fearless – they just want to get on and play.
"They ran their socks off and I think the future bodes well for them.”