He is definitely a lad to keep an eye on. Irish defender Ryan Nolan has been named as part of Inter's 19-man squad for their Europa League clash with Rapid Vienna tomorrow night. While only 18 players will be named as part of the match day squad, the Clare native could be in line to make his European debut for the Italian giants.
Now 19-years old, Ryan lived in Shannon, Co. Clare until the age of eight, when his family resettled in the Murcia region of Spain. He would develop wonderfully as a player over the next few years, with his talents eventually spotted by Inter scout Pierluigi Casiragh, who convinced the player to uproot and move to Italy.
He agreed to join Inter on his 16th birthday, making the switch in 2015. He has since gone from strength to strength in the club's youth ranks, captaining their U19 side.
While Nolan as had some game time in pre-season, he has yet to make his competitive debut for the first team. That may be about to change, however, as he has been named as part of the travelling party to Austria for the Europa League round-of-32 clash.
📄 | Our 19-man matchday squad for #RapidInter in the #UEL 👇 pic.twitter.com/KWxG7aJk22
— Inter (@Inter_en) February 13, 2019
This could be the first step to a senior breakthrough for the central defender, who will also be hoping to make an impact in a green jersey over the coming years. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at U18, level, but his last international appearance came in 2016. Despite this, he has confirmed his desire to play for Ireland again in the near future.
Making strides such as this at a club of the stature of Inter Milan is certainly no small feat, and Ireland U21 boss Stephen Kenny will no doubt be keeping a close eye on his development in the coming months.
Inter Milan vs Rapid Vienna kicks off tomorrow, Thursday 14th of February at 5.55pm Irish time. The match day squad will be confirmed one hour before kick-off, and we are hopeful that Ryan will be included on the final list.
