Ireland U21 starlet Andy Moran eager to end super season on a high after making Premier League breakthrough at Brighton

ANDY MORAN is eager to end a breakthrough season on a high.

Moran made his Premier League debut for Brighton, against Everton in January, and was an unused substitute on a further 11 times in the English top flights.

Nine goals and six assists in 19 Premier League 2 appearances helped convince the club to hand the 19-year-old a new four-year contract.

Moran was capped twice by Ireland’s under-21s in Autumn 2021 before reverting to the under-19 squad.

But he marked his comeback to the higher age group with an assist for Tom Cannon against Iceland at Turner’s Cross in March and bagged his first goal in a 2-2 draw against Ukraine on Friday.

Now the Dubliner is looking to make his mark again, when Jim Crawford’s side play Kuwait’s under-22 side in Austria, before breaking up for the summer.

Moran said: “I’m trying to get as many goals and assists as I can, obviously as I’m playing higher up the pitch.

It’s important but I think the overall team performance is what’s most important, and I think we’ve been good in both games.

“In Cork, going down to 10 men so early, we showed so much fight to win that game. And then the other day against a really good Ukraine team, I was really, really impressed with how we did.

“In Cork, with ten men, we showed so much fight, so much passion, to just dig ourselves out of a hole that we got ourselves into, even going behind early.

“It was the same again on Friday, we went 1-0 down quite early on and fought back before half-time and then went 2-1 down as well.

“To come back twice against a really top team, great players, there were senior internationals, or Champions League players, in that team, was great.

“We’re unbeaten this year. Hopefully we can keep that going, it’s a good habit to have, not losing games, that will get us to where we want to be, the Euro finals, so it’s really important that we keep building.

“Kuwait will be a good side, an under-22 side, a bit physical and older than us but we showed against Ukraine we can deal with the physical aspect.

“We’re just looking to stamp our own game onto them and not worry too much about them and show wat we can do because we’ve got some really good talent in this team.”

HOPING FOR MORE

Moran is among then, having played for Bray Wanderers’ first team when he was aged just 15 before moving to Brighton.

And the teenager is looking to have a bigger role for Jim Crawford and Roberto de Zerbi next season.

Moran said: “The last campaign I was in at the start but I wasn’t really in it at the business end of it. Even being around lads like Conor Coventry, Gav Kilkenny, you learn so much.

“Now being one of the older lads, having more of a playing role, when I didn’t really play too much in the last campaign, has been brilliant. I’m hoping to impress and keen myself in the team.

“It’s been a great year for me, if you’d told me at the start of the season that I’d be making my Premier League debut, I’d have been snapping you hand off for it.

“I was delighted with that, what a moment, it was so proud for me and family. And it’s a great way to topping off the season away with the Irish lads.

“Hopefully there is people back at Brighton watching these games and see what I’ve been doing. Every game is a chance to impress, you’ve got to take it that way and just do the best you can.”

For Monday afternoon’s game at the Parktherme Arena, which kicks off at 4pm Irish time, captain Joe Hodge has been ruled out as a precaution after suffering a head injury against Ukraine. Harry Vaughan and Tayo Adaramola are also sidelined.