16-year-old Irish midfielder Rory Finneran has enjoyed quite a remarkable few months recently in the infancy of his professional career.
At the age of just 15, Finneran made his debut for the Ireland U17s in September of last year against Belgium and has played every game since.
In the intervening months, he not only made his senior debut for Blackburn Rovers against Cambridge United in the FA Cup but, in doing so, became their youngest-ever debutant.
(Humorously, due to his youth, Finneran was obliged to wear a blank jersey, with Blackburn sponsored by vaping company Totally Wicked.)
The young Irishman is evidently catching the attention of scouts in Europe, with reports from the UK suggesting that Bundesliga clubs are monitoring the 16-year-old star.
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Ireland youngster Rory Finneran reportedly pursued by Bundesliga clubs
11 October 2023; Rory Finneran of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA European U17 Championship qualifying group 10 match between Republic of Ireland and Armenia at Carrig Park in Fermoy, Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Rory Finneran once again linked up with the Ireland U17s this week for their EURO qualifiers against Portugal and Germany. Two defeats from two in the Portuguese-hosted Elite Round mean that Ireland have been eliminated from contention to qualify for this summer's U17 European Championship.
There was, however, some intriguing news on a personal level for Finneran.
The Telegraph report on Tuesday that some of Europe's "biggest clubs" were sent to the Ireland v Germany game on Saturday specifically to monitor Finneran, with the young Irish star on the radar of several Bundesliga teams.
Finneran would not be the first Irishman to move to the continent in recent years. Most notably, Josh Cullen spent several years excelling under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, while the likes of Festy Ebosele, Kevin Zefi, and James Abankwah have enjoyed varying degrees of success in Serie A.
In the Bundesliga, Irish-eligible youngsters Conor Noss and Ryan Johansson have continued their steady rise in recent months.
A move to the Bundesliga would be a major step up for Finneran and, though regular first-team football is a long way down the line, is a great indicator of the promise he has shown in recent weeks.
Rory Finneran and his Ireland U17 teammates were in action once again on Tuesday morning against Croatia in the final game of their Elite Phase qualifying group, with kick-off at 11am.
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