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Aston Villa’s troubled NextGen hero Mikey Drennan enjoying his football again at local Kilkenny club

Michael Drennan - Aston Villa (Reuters)
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The talented striker is currently on hiatus from professional football after suffering with depression.

Michael Drennan - Aston VillaMichael Drennan – Aston Villa

When Aston Villa’s youngsters won the NextGen Series in 2013 one of the star players in the team was striker Mikey Drennan.

The Irishman scored goals for fun in the competition, finishing as second-top goalscorer with six goals in the European youth competition.

Drennan looked like being a potential star of the future at Aston Villa but it never happened. Instead he headed back to his native Ireland in 2015, joining Shamrock Rovers.

He went on to discuss his reasons for heading home, as he was struggling with depression, and in 2016 he took an indefinite break from professional football and headed back to Kilkenny – as reported by the Irish Mirror.

He was a promising prospect at Villa, and one the fans had high hopes for, so fans at Villa Park will be pleased to hear he is enjoying himself back home.

Portsmouth's Michael Drennan and Mansfield Town's Martin Riley in actionPortsmouth’s Michael Drennan and Mansfield Town’s Martin Riley in action

This week Drennan scored for Evergreen FC to take his team to the semi-finals of the FAI Junior Cup as he continues his great form with his hometown club.

It may be a long way from Aston Villa and the promise he showed during that NextGen campaign. But Villa fans will be pleased to hear he seems to have found some peace and is enjoying his football again.