Dungannon Swifts starlet joins West Ham

The teenager has impressed during his three-year spell with Dungannon United Youth and Dungannon Swifts, and he has been heavily involved with the Northern Ireland Youth setup since a young age.

Swifts Head of Youth Development, Dixie Robinson, says the Premier League outfit were keen to snap the player up.

“From his first trial at West Ham United Michael impressed the coaches," he said.

"They moved very quickly to get him over again and from day one I knew they liked what they saw.

"I had a few conversations with Del Ebanks who was very complimentary with everything Michael done, both on and off the field.

"Things have moved along very smoothly since then with negotiations between the two clubs being straightforward.

"Michael has had his medical and he will hopefully move across to West Ham in June.

"A very talented player Michael can play in the heart of the defence or in central midfield and at over 6 feet tall he is an exceptionally good athlete with a great game understanding.

"His progress has been helped under the guidance of Ciaran O’Kane Glenn McMenemy Terry Fitzpatrick Chris McCann and Stevie O Hare.

"I would like to wish Michael every success on behalf of all our coaches and teammates and I have no doubt he will have a fantastic career in the game.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.ukand enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Irish and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Thank you,

Alistair Bushe

Editor