IRISH YOUNGSTER TYREIK Wright is set to experience competitive senior football for the first time in his career after completing a temporary move away from Aston Villa.

Wright will spend the remainder of the season on loan at Walsall, who sit in 11th place in League Two.

Although he has yet to make a first-team breakthrough at Villa Park, the 19-year-old winger features regularly in the Premier League club’s U23 side, for whom he has made 14 appearances this season. 

“I’m absolutely delighted to be here,” he said. “I just want to thank the gaffer and Walsall for giving me the opportunity to come here on loan. I have been waiting a long time for this opportunity and I just can’t wait to get started.

“It means a lot to me (to be allowed out on loan), to be fair. I want to go out there and showcase my ability and show everyone what I have got. Playing men’s football will be a huge development in my career and hopefully it is a step towards great things.”

Wright has been capped by the Republic of Ireland up to U19 level. He was also a member of the U17 squads that reached the quarter-finals of the European Championships in both 2017 and 2018.

“Tyreik is going to give us great options out wide,” said Walsall manager Darrell Clarke. “He’s got great ability with the ball at his feet and he has the potential to be a real threat in the final third.

“He’s been showing his match-winning qualities in the U23s at Villa and for his country at youth level, so we are really looking forward to working with him.

“We’ve got a great relationship with Aston Villa and we’re very grateful to them for letting us have one of their exciting youngsters.”

Wright, who hails from Ovens on the outskirts of Cork city, joined Villa from Lakewood in 2018.