Premier League high-flyers Wolverhampton Wanderers loaned Connor Ronan out to League One Blackpool in the January transfer window.
Connor Ronan’s midweek wonder-goal left his Blackpool boss David Dunn raving about the ability of a Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee, in quotes reported by the Gazette.
A lot has changed at Molineux since Paul Lambert handed a first-team debut to an 18-year-old wonder-kid in January 2017 – and not just in the dugout.
At the time, Wolves were a mid-table Championship team. Three years on, they have one foot and four toes in the Europa League round-of-16 ahead of Thursday night’s return leg against Espanyol.
Ronan, however, has played no part of the club’s remarkable continental campaign, having joined League One Blackpool on loan in January after spending the first half of the season with Dunajska Streda in Slovakia.
The Republic of Ireland U21 international opened his account for the Tangerines, and in some style, with a 30-yard screamer against Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night; a moment of supreme quality not often seen in the third-tier of English football.
“It was good, so I was pleased for him. I thought he caught it extremely well, so I’m pleased for the kid he’s got his first goal for the club and hopefully there’s more to come,” said interim boss Dunn, a former Premier League star of Birmingham and Blackburn.
“I thought he was excellent last week at AFC Wimbledon as well, he’s got such a good touch. He makes things happen for us.”
Dunn, a talented creative midfielder himself in his playing days, has challenged Ronan to add more goals and assists to his armoury as the 21-year-old looks to live up to the potential which saw him tipped for big things at Wolves not so long ago.
It remains to be seen, however, if Ronan still has a future at Molineux. Wolves are not exactly short of talent in the centre of the park these days and an academy graduate might have missed the boat.
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