Newcastle have added to their Irish contingent, with Ireland U17 star Kyle Fitzgerald securing a move to the Premier League side.
The Magpies already have a pair of Irish stars in their academy, with Fitzgerald joining Reece Byrne and Cathal Heffernan in the Newcastle youth setup.
The move, which took place on Fitzgerald's 18th birthday at the end of January, was confirmed on Thursday afternoon and brings the youngster from League of Ireland side Galway United to England's north-east.
Fitzgerald follows in the footsteps of former Galway United star Alex Murphy, who made the move from the west to Newcastle in 2022 and is currently on loan with Bolton Wanderers.
READ HERE: "You're In Cuckoo Land" - Roy Keane Rips Into James Maddison And Spurs' Excuses
READ HERE: Brendan Rodgers Reveals What He Said To Players After Costly Harry Kane Mistake
Ireland U17 international Kyle Fitzgerald joins Newcastle
14 October 2023; Kyle Fitzgerald of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA European U17 Championship qualifying round 10 match between Republic of Ireland and Iceland at Turner's Cross in Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Capped at under-15, under-16 and under-17 level for Ireland, 18-year-old forward Kyle Fitzgerald has secured an exciting move to Premier League high-flyers Newcastle United.
The exciting young winger was unveiled by the club on Thursday, after he spent a spell on trial with Newcastle last summer.
Fitzgerald told the Newcastle United website that he had received a warm welcome from the Irish contingent on Tyneside, saying that Cathal Heffernan had made a particular effort to help him get to know the rest of the academy squad.
It was a tough week of training in Pinatar, getting fit in the heat, and also getting to know the lads.
They were very welcoming with me and the likes of Heff (Cathal Heffernan), who is also Irish, helped to introduce me into the group and I'm getting very well with them. Coming from Ireland into an English academy, there's a massive difference in quality and training. Back home, I was only training three nights a week whereas, at Newcastle, I'm training five to six mornings and then playing a match at the weekend.
It's a massive step up but I think I've embraced it well. I've already completed a few weeks of training with the under-18s and under-21s squads so I think I've already come on as a player in terms of quality but also as a person, getting to know the staff and players.
Being away from home can be tough but, with the international team, I'm away a lot in different countries so I'm used to that but this is different because I'll be away for a lot of months without getting home.
Fitzgerald also revealed that he had been inspired by following the path taken by Alex Murphy in joining Newcastle from Galway.
"Steve Harper and Paul Midgley (Head of Youth Recruitment) showed me the pathway of players such as Alex Murphy, who has came through Galway's Academy and then signed for Newcastle like myself," Fitzgerald said.
"I used to go to the same school as Alex but I was two or three years younger than him. I did look up to him because he was in Galway's first-team when I was at the Academy. Hopefully, I can follow in similar footsteps."
It is an exciting time for Irish fans of Newcastle, and it seems the future is bright for Kyle Fitzgerald.
SEE ALSO: Six Amazing Things You Might Have Missed In The Merseyside Derby Brawl
