In recent years, the pathways from the Republic of Ireland youth teams to the senior side has been a much smoother one.
In previous eras, there was often a major disconnect between those two setups that made it difficult for players to make the step up to the highest level. As a result, many of our most promising footballers had to wait until their mid or late 20s to make their international debut.
That changed drastically under Stephen Kenny, who fast-tracked a number of U21 players into the senior squad. It will be hoped that this trend will continue moving forward.
Thankfully, there are no shortage of talented youngsters coming through the ranks at the moment, with one such player now starting to garner the attentions of some big clubs due to his goalscoring exploits.
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Republic of Ireland youngster drawing interest from big clubs
Football Insider are reporting that the likes of Brighton, Celtic, and Belgian duo Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Club Brugge are closely monitoring Charlton Athletic's Irish striker Patrick Casey.
Looking at his stats, it's not difficult to see why.
The 18-year old scored a frankly ridiculous 42 goals for the club's U18 and U21 sides last season. His tally for the current campaign already stands at 31.
Ireland u19 striker Patrick Casey scored FIVE , yes five goals for Charlton u21’s today against Cardiff!🤩🇮🇪
This kid looks a real player, finishes with his left foot, right foot, a volley and a header.
A first team debut at Charlton will soon come !☘️pic.twitter.com/zZUn6hFNyM— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) November 27, 2023
Casey joined Charlton Athletic as a nine-year old and has steadily progressed through their various youth teams. He would make his first team debut in January, coming on in the League One fixture against Oxford United. He was called up to train with the Republic of Ireland U19 side in June of last year.
Someone with that type of goalscoring record is always sure to draw the interest of some big clubs, with Brighton in particular known for their ability to identify young talent.
It would be interesting to see what he could do for Ireland given the opportunity, with the U19s set to play in three Euro qualifiers in April.
He is certainly one to keep a close eye on.
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