The Irishmen abroad: A mixed season across Europe for men in green

With the top leagues across Europe drawing to a close, here is how the Irish men’s players fared this season on the continent, from Jake O’Brien’s stunning campaign at Lyon to Troy Parrott’s productive loan spell in the Netherlands.

FRANCE

Jake O’Brien (23, Lyon)

This has proved to be a stunning debut season in Ligue 1 for the Corkman. The centre-half arrived from Crystal Palace in August and after biding his time, has played every single league minute for Lyon since round seven (bar a one-game suspension in February). A first Ireland senior call-up came last March and he’ll hope to make his debut next month once the small matter of a French Cup final against Kylian Mbappe’s PSG is out of the way on Saturday.

Ike Orazi (16, Stade Reims)

A product of Shamrock Rovers’ academy, Orazi signed for Reims last August and has been a regular for the club’s U-19s. The U-17 international did get first-team experience though as he was named on the bench for two Ligue 1 fixtures last month and has also featured for their B team.

NETHERLANDS

Troy Parrott (22, Excelsior – on loan from Tottenham)

After disappointing stints at Preston and Ipswich, Parrott has enjoyed his career best goal scoring season in senior football this term, with 10 goals and four assists in the Eredivisie. That tally may have been more had a hamstring injury not ruled him out of five games in March. Entering the final year of his Spurs contract, the Dubliner has a big decision to make this summer.

Anselmo Garcia MacNulty (21, PEC Zwolle)

The centre-half, born to a Spanish father and Clare mother, has had a fine debut campaign in the Dutch top-flight having signed from Wolfsburg last summer. The U-21 cap has established himself as a firm first-team regular starting all but four of his side’s Eredivisie games to date, with Zwolle well clear of the relegation spots. He was also chosen to captain Jim Crawford’s men last November and has started four of their six Euro qualifiers so far.

ITALY

Festy Ebosele (21, Udinese)

In his second full season at the Serie A club, Wexford man Ebosele enjoyed a productive campaign making over 30 league appearances with the Italian outfit sitting just above the relegation places. There was frustration on the international scene however, as he made just three appearances off the bench.

James Abankwah (20, Udinese) This was a campaign to forget for the centre-half. September’s loan move to League One Charlton proved to be a disaster with just three appearances before he returned to Udinese in January. The former St Patrick’s Athletic man made the bench for five Serie A games and has spent the second-half of the campaign with the club’s youth side. .

Liam Kerrigan (24, Como, on loan at Novara)

After returning from a devastating ACL injury, Sligo native Kerrigan made eight Serie B appearances for Como’s firstteam before spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Serie C side Novara. The former U-21 striker will look to make an impact next term with Como now back in the top flight for the first time in 21 years.

Naj Razi (17, Como)

U-19 cap Razi arrived from Shamrock Rovers in February, the winger has appeared in all but one of Como’s youth team fixtures to date. Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas are also shareholders in the club, who achieved Serie A promotion earlier this month.

BELGIUM

Jonathan Afolabi (24, Kortrijk)

The Dublin-born striker left Bohemians for Belgium last January but hasn’t exactly hit the ground running with a return of just one goal so far with most of his minutes coming as a substitute. The former Celtic player earned his first Irish senior call-up last September but failed to make his debut and has not been called up since. After finishing second from bottom in the regular season, Kortrijk face a two-legged play-off this month to remain in the top-flight.

Matt Healy (22, Francs Borains) Midfielder Healy has enjoyed a fine debut season after signing from Ipswich, starting virtually all of his side’s fixtures in the second tier as they avoided relegation by four points. The ex-Cork City man has also established himself in Jim Crawford’s U-21s.

Tayo Adaramola (20, RWD Molenbeek, on loan from Crystal Palace)

The defender spent the second half of the season with the Belgian Pro League side who are also owned by Eagles owner John Textor. U-21 cap Adaramola has featured regularly since the move but couldn’t help Molenbeek avoid relegation after just one season in the top-flight.

Daniel McGrath (18, Lommel) Balbriggan native McGrath earned a move to Belgian second tier side Lommel last September, signing a deal until 2026. The former Bohs midfielder and

Ireland U-18 cap has spent the majority of this season with the youth set-up, but did earn his senior debut in January.

SPAIN

John Joe Patrick Finn (20, Getafe)

The Madrid-born midfielder spent the majority of the campaign with Getafe’s B team making 30 appearances (in the fourth tier), but did earn one first-team start (and scored) in the Copa Del Rey last November. He made his Ireland U-19 debut in 2021, with his father hailing from Mayo.

Attacking midfielder Ochoa Maloney made history in December by becoming Malaga’s youngest first-team player when he came off the bench in their Copa del Rey tie against Aldense. The Ireland U-17 cap also started their following cup tie and made six senior league appearances in the third tier this term.

Aaron Ochoa Moloney (17, Malaga)

GERMANY

Ryan Johansson (Freiburg)

Former U-21 winger Johansson has enjoyed a decent debut season in Germany after arriving from Sevilla in August. Once on the books at Bayern Munich’s academy, Johansson has contributed two goals and four assists across nearly 30 reserve team appearances in the German third tier.

AUSTRIA

Conor Noss (23, FC Blau-Weiss Linz)

The German-born midfielder arrived from Borussia Monchengladbach last summer and has worked his way into Linz’s first-team, having made more than 30 top-flight appearances so far and a further three in the cup.

PORTUGAL

Mipo Odubeko (21, Martimo)

Tallaght native Odubeko departed West Ham last summer for a fresh start with Portuguese second-tier side Martimo, although the forward has spent this campaign with their ‘B’ team in the fourth division.

SWITZERLAND Armstrong Oko-Flex (22, FC Zurich)

Another player who cut ties with the Hammers last year, winger Oko-Flex, has yet to really hit the ground running at Zurich with the bulk of his appearances coming as a substitute as the club bid for a European spot this month.