Neil Farrugia will not be on his way to the Championship with Leeds United or Middlesbrough this summer.
Neil Farrugia’s story is a little different to that of your average budding young footballer.
The 20-year-old is one of the rising stars of Irish football and his performances for UCD have caught the eye of a number of clubs across the sea in England.
According to the Irish Independent, Middlesbrough have expressed an interest in the jet-heeled Farrugia while Leeds United have also been keeping a very close eye on his development.
But, in a rather shock move, Farrugia will apparently spurn moves to the Riverside or Elland Road in order to stay in his homeland. The fresh-faced wideman will instead join Shamrock Rovers, which will give him a chance to focus on his studies and complete a degree in Biomedical Science.
Clearly, Farrugia is a player with his head screwed on.
And rejecting the chance to sign for Leeds and Boro this summer does not mean he will never join either of the two Championship clubs. Simply, it seems that Farrugia feels now is not the right time to make the step up in his career.
If he continues to shine at Shamrock Rovers, and passes his degree of course, then everything will be set up for Farrugia to make the switch this time next year. But for now, fans over in Ireland are loving this young man’s refreshing maturity.
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