LEE O’CONNOR signed for Celtic on deadline day from Manchester Utd and we haven’t heard much from him since. If you read our articles on a regular basis we try to keep you abreast of what’s happening with the developmental squad and the lad has had a few run-outs so far.
Lee was held in very high regard at Manchester Utd before making the move north of the border and some were shocked by the move. The 19-year-old has already been called up to the Irish under-21s and earned rave reviews for his performance on Thursday evening against the Italians.Â
The versatile defender part of an impressive young Irish squad who top their Euro qualifying group. After the game, the player spoke to Balls.ie about his move from Manchester Utd to Celtic and his motivation for joining the Scottish Champions.
“I went as a 15-year-old kid, a 15-year-old child,” O’Connor said following the game in Tallaght.
“It was like a second home to me. I’d become very close to everyone. The people I lived with, the club, the players, everyone.
It was a tough decision to leave, but at the end of the day, it had to be purely about football and what’s best for my career and I think I made the right decision.
“I had an amazing three-and-a-bit seasons at United. I couldn’t speak highly enough about the club, the people at it, the players, everyone. But I think it was time for me to move on and everyone at the club understood that.
On settling into life at Celtic the Irishman said it was made easy by the fact some familiar faces were already at the club in Luca Connel and Jonathan Afolabi.
“That’s helped massively,” said O’Connor.
“Especially with Jonny, it’s helped me settle in a lot quicker having him around.
“At the moment, I’m just looking to get a run of games in the reserves and show them why they’ve got me there. Hopefully, the coaching staff will see and next season in pre-season, I can show the first-team manager that I’m capable enough to make the step.
“They put great faith in me. I’m very grateful for that, so I’m just looking to repay their faith now, get a good run of games and have a good performance level.
“I want to get into the first-team. That’s why I went to Celtic – it’s what I’m looking to do and hopefully I can do it.”
If Le continues to earn top reviews from club duty and in the developmental set-up he could make the breakthrough sooner rather than later.
