Celtic loanee Eoghan O’Connell has been hailed by Walsall boss Jon Witney.
Walsall manager Jon Witney has told the club’s official website that he felt Eoghan O’Connell was ‘outstanding’ during Saturday’s 3-1 home win over Bristol Rovers.
The Saddlers picked up an important 3-1 win on Saturday afternoon, with Celtic loanee O’Connell grabbing the first goal of the game to set Witney’s men on their way to victory.
General view of Walsall’s Banks’s Stadium
Irish centre back O’Connell, who joined Celtic back in 2013, had played seven times for the Bhoys this season, including in the 7-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona in September, before being loaned out by Brendan Rodgers earlier this month.
The 21-year-old defender is looking to gain first-team experience during his time with the League One side, and he’s already started twice for the Saddlers.
Eoghan O’Connell scores for Celtic
O’Connell was named man of the match for his performance against Bristol Rovers, and he’s now been praised by Walsall boss Jon Witney for his display over the weekend.
Speaking to the Walsall official website, Witney stated that O’Connell was ‘outstanding’ against Bristol Rovers, praising him for how technically gifted he is and how comfortable he is on the ball.
Witney suggested that O’Connell is a winner, and highlighted the winning tradition in his family, given that his cousin Paul O’Connell was captain of the British and Irish Lions.
“I thought Eoghan was outstanding, his technical side was really good. One of his biggest fortes is that he’s so comfortable on the ball,” said Witney. “He doesn’t panic which is great because we are a team that wants to retain the ball and I think we’ve struggled with that this season a little bit. It helps us on the defensive side if we can keep the ball.”
“He brings that, but he also brings a presence and he’s a winner. I think the players respect him already for what he is. You can tell when you speak to him – he’s just one of those energisers and that goes through his family. He’s got a good sporting tradition in his family – his cousin (Paul) was the Lions captain as well and you can see Eoghan has a winning mentality which was key in us bringing him in,” he added.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will be delighted to hear the praise for O’Connell, as he’s hoping that the defender will develop and grow as a player during his spell in England – and it’s a case of so far, so good.
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