The defender joined St Mirren from Cork City in January 2020 and has made an encouraging start to life in Scotland. The 22-year-old has been playing regularly in the Scottish Premiership, with McCarthy memorably scoring the winning goal in their recent 3-2 cup success against Rangers.
Jamie McGrath
McGrath left Dundalk to sign a two-and-a-half year deal with St Mirren in January 2020. The 24-year-old Meath native is adapting well at his new club — he has six goals in all competitions so far this season, including an unforgettable brace in the cup win over Rangers.
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Zack Elbouzedi
The Ireland U21 international left Waterford to sign for League One outfit Lincoln City at the turn of the year. Having made a handful of appearances last season, it hasn’t worked out as planned this year for the Dublin-born winger so far in the campaign, as he has been largely restricted to FA Cup and Football League Trophy appearances, with his side challenging around the top of the table without him in the starting XI.
Danny Grant
The PFAI Young Player of the Year was an integral part of a Bohs side that finished second in the Premier Division this year. As a result of his impressive form, the Ireland U21 winger recently earned a move to Championship outfit Huddersfield.
Bohs boss Keith Long revealed last month that Ferguson, a 16-year-old who has already made his senior debut for the Dalymount Park outfit, is set to join Brighton in the summer. However, given his age, it’s not 100% clear whether the new rules relating to Brexit could potentially scupper that move for the youngster, who is the son of former League of Ireland player and Irish youth international Barry Ferguson.
Jack Byrne
Byrne has made a big impact since joining Shamrock Rovers, winning the Premier Division’s Player-of-the-Season award two years on the bounce and being key to the Hoops’ title success in 2020. It seems unlikely that he will stick around for another campaign, though, with reported interest in Britain and beyond. Multiple recent reports indicate that the Dubliner is set for a reunion with former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy at APOEL Nicosia in Cyprus.
Kevin Zefi
The 15-year-old attacker is highly thought of in Irish underage circles and he has already made a number of appearances in the First Division this year with Shamrock Rovers II. Back in September, he became the youngest goalscorer in League of Ireland history when he netted against Longford. He is another player who could be impacted by Brexit-related rules, though there has been interest further afield than Britain, with Inter Milan among the clubs linked with the Ireland U15 international.
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4 Irish players who made the move abroad in 2020 and 3 who could follow next year
4 who moved
Conor McCarthy
The defender joined St Mirren from Cork City in January 2020 and has made an encouraging start to life in Scotland. The 22-year-old has been playing regularly in the Scottish Premiership, with McCarthy memorably scoring the winning goal in their recent 3-2 cup success against Rangers.
Jamie McGrath
McGrath left Dundalk to sign a two-and-a-half year deal with St Mirren in January 2020. The 24-year-old Meath native is adapting well at his new club — he has six goals in all competitions so far this season, including an unforgettable brace in the cup win over Rangers.
Zack Elbouzedi
The Ireland U21 international left Waterford to sign for League One outfit Lincoln City at the turn of the year. Having made a handful of appearances last season, it hasn’t worked out as planned this year for the Dublin-born winger so far in the campaign, as he has been largely restricted to FA Cup and Football League Trophy appearances, with his side challenging around the top of the table without him in the starting XI.
Danny Grant
The PFAI Young Player of the Year was an integral part of a Bohs side that finished second in the Premier Division this year. As a result of his impressive form, the Ireland U21 winger recently earned a move to Championship outfit Huddersfield.
3 who could follow
Evan Ferguson
Bohs boss Keith Long revealed last month that Ferguson, a 16-year-old who has already made his senior debut for the Dalymount Park outfit, is set to join Brighton in the summer. However, given his age, it’s not 100% clear whether the new rules relating to Brexit could potentially scupper that move for the youngster, who is the son of former League of Ireland player and Irish youth international Barry Ferguson.
Jack Byrne
Byrne has made a big impact since joining Shamrock Rovers, winning the Premier Division’s Player-of-the-Season award two years on the bounce and being key to the Hoops’ title success in 2020. It seems unlikely that he will stick around for another campaign, though, with reported interest in Britain and beyond. Multiple recent reports indicate that the Dubliner is set for a reunion with former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy at APOEL Nicosia in Cyprus.
Kevin Zefi
The 15-year-old attacker is highly thought of in Irish underage circles and he has already made a number of appearances in the First Division this year with Shamrock Rovers II. Back in September, he became the youngest goalscorer in League of Ireland history when he netted against Longford. He is another player who could be impacted by Brexit-related rules, though there has been interest further afield than Britain, with Inter Milan among the clubs linked with the Ireland U15 international.
– First published 07.30, 31 December
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Conor McCarthy Jamie McGrath League of Ireland LOI Pastures new Zack Elbouzedi