The Imps are being credited with an interest in 19-year-old Glentoran prodigy Johnny Russell,
While all eyes are seemingly on Scandinavia, we may well be fishing back in familiar waters over the summer. It has proven to be a good place in the past, having caught Dylan Duffy and Jack Moylan there, but we lost Senan Mullen and Trai Hulme from the hook.
Russell is a left-sided full-back who has been with The Glens since the age of ten. He made his competitive debut as a 17-year-old at the start of last season in a 1-0 County Antrim Shield win alongside Terry Devlin and Conor Haughey, both of whom have since moved to England.
This season, he appeared 26 times for his team, helping them to finish fifth in the Northern Irish Premier Division. Almost all of those appearances were at left back or left wing back, but a handful also came at left centre back. In March, he was capped at Under 21 level by Northern Ireland, playing 17 minutes of their 2-1 victory against Spain in the U21 European Championship Qualifying phase.
His father Jeff played football for Glentoran and Larne in the 1980s, thus the sport runs in his family. “My Dad was a big influence on coming to the Oval, and he’s driven me from Larne for training and matches since I was nine,” he said, acknowledging his father’s influence when he signed a new contract with Glentoran in November. He has contributed a great deal to my football career, and I am really grateful to him.
Following a terrible own goal by Russell against Larne in April, manager Declan Devine spoke out in favor of a player he called “outstanding.” “Since Johnny Russell is the club’s future, there is zero blame at his door tonight,”
Russell not only has a great reputation and developing talent, but he also has a tremendous throw that is nearly as good as a cornerback. His pass back in December helped his team defeat Linfield 4-0, scoring their third goal out of four.
Russell won’t be the first player we see at the Oval if that’s the case. We were previously connected to a move for Russell’s colleague Aaron Wightman, who Stoke City is also interested in. The interest was first mentioned about a year ago today, so it’s possible that the Imps are simply regular Glentoran game watchers and the local media is adding two and two to equal five.
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