Sligo native Johnny Kenny will join Shamrock Rovers on loan from Celtic for the 2023 League of Ireland season.
After scoring 11 goals in his debut campaign for Sligo Rovers, Kenny moved to the Scottish champions a year ago and featured in their ‘B’ side.
A loan spell at Queen’s Park in the Scottish Championship did not produce any goals in 12 appearances with Celtic willing to send Kenny back to his home country in a bid to find form again.
Several sides were chasing the 19-year-old, including his hometown club Sligo, but Stephen Bradley’s men have secured his signature.
Johnny Kelly pictured with Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley.
Bradley said: “We like his attributes and the way he plays the game. We’ve liked him and monitored him for quite some time. We tried to get him a couple of years back and it didn’t quite come off so we’re delighted to get him, because he has some really good attributes that we feel will improve the team.
“I think we’ve got really good options up front and when you add John into that mix, it only adds to it. We have Rory, Graham and Aaron and then when you add Simon and Neil to that, we’ve got real pace in that final third. But we’re always looking to improve in every area of the pitch, and we feel Johnny represents a chance for us to improve. He gives us a different option to what we have and a different type of player to what we have at the moment.
“We know what he’s about and we’ve seen it first-hand, so there are no surprises for us or for him. He knows the league and we know Johnny. In this team, with the chances we create and the way he plays, I think he’ll really enjoy it and score goals.
“I went and sat down with Johnny a few weeks back and we had a couple of hours together and a good chat. One thing that really stood out for me was that he’s really motivated to improve and kick on again. He’s still very young and there’s still lots of growth left in him. We feel we can help him fulfil that potential and he obviously feels he can fulfil that potential here, so it looks like a good fit for both. I’m delighted to get him in, and I can’t wait to start working with him.”
