ONE PLAYER TIPPED as a future star of the Irish team has been released by his club.
U21 international Conor Clifford, who was part of Giovanni Trapattoni’s last two senior squads but didn’t receive a call-up for next week’s friendly with Poland, is one of five players let go by Chelsea, it was announced today.
The Dublin-born midfielder left Crumlin United for London at 16 and worked his way through the ranks before captaining the the Pensioners to an FA Youth Cup win over Aston Villa in 2010 – scoring the winning goal in the final.
The last two years have seen him make loan moves to lower division sides including Plymouth Argyle, Notts County and Portsmouth. Most recently, he had an unsuccessful spell at Crawley Town where he made a single appearance from the bench.
Head of Chelsea’s youth development Neil Bath told their official website: “Conor came over from Ireland at Under-15. We’ve always given him support and help that comes with bringing someone from abroad without their immediate friends and family with them.
“I hope to keep in contact with him. He had a fantastic time in the Youth Cup for us, and his challenge is to adjust from youth to men’s football.
He’s gaining some fantastic experience with the Irish national team and he’s a gusty, determined, hard-tackling player, who has scored a lot of goals. I hope a club goes with him.”
While he is still young and will surely have a number of clubs interested in his signature, it is certainly a significant blow to a player who many regard as one of the country’s brightest prospects.
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