IRELAND U21 STAR Jayson Molumby has extended his stay with Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion and will join Millwall on a season-long loan for the upcoming term.

Molumby, one of the stand-out performers for Stephen Kenny’s side at this summer’s Toulon Tournament, signs a new contract which keeps him at the seaside club until June 2021.

His loan deal to The Den will be his first since joining the club in 2015 from Railway Athletic. With just two senior appearances to his name, Brighton U23 coach Simon Rusk expects the Ireland U21 captain to pick up more first team football in the coming months.

“This move comes at the right time for Jayson, and his new deal is well deserved after plenty of hard work over the past few years,” he told the club’s official website.

Jayson has always had the desire to take his game to the next level, and the opportunity to play senior football in the second tier will certainly give him the chance to do that.

“The Championship is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, and we hope Jayson makes the very most of his time at Millwall during the upcoming season.”

Millwall finished just above the relegation zone last year and manager Neil Harris said the decision to take the 19-year-old on was fuelled by the player’s ambition to continue his development at the club.

“Jayson was asked himself where he thought his immediate future lied a few weeks ago, and his suggestion to Brighton was Millwall, because of the way he plays,” Harris explained.

That was very interesting and without any prompting from us at all. He sees himself fitting the bill, and his character when I’ve spoken to him shows him as a passionate young man, who wants to play. We’re very excited to work with Jayson.

“He had an exceptional summer and he’s got the potential to be a good all-round midfield player. We don’t take many loans from Premier League clubs – especially young ones – firstly because they’re not always the right character we want to take, and secondly because we have to be mindful of what we’ve got in our own club.

Within our setup at the moment, I believe we have room for a central midfield player of Jayson’s qualities. We also have some cracking young boys in the U23s and U18s who at the moment aren’t quite ready to step in, so it gives them a chance to further develop.”

He added: “Jayson is a competitive lad who gets around the pitch, and also an excellent footballer. He can really play and has a great passing range.

“He comes in to help us as a group, he comes in to want to develop himself, and Brighton are happy to have a relationship with us to allow their player to develop.”

The Dockers face preseason fixtures against Southend United and Real Betis and Dover Ahtletic before the end of the month.

They begin their Championship campaign at home to Preston North End on 3 August.

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