Former Republic of Ireland international Keith Treacy believes his former club Blackburn Rovers will provide an excellent environment for current Under-21 starlet Andrew Moran to thrive at.
Former Bray Wanderers player Moran, who is loan at the Championship side from parent club Brighton this season, captained the Boys in Green's U21s in their tumultous 3-2 victory over Turkey as they got their 2025 European Championship qualifying campaign underway at Turners Cross last Friday, scoring an outstanding goal in the process.
Prior to this season, the 19-year-old had made cameos in the Brighton first-team where he emerged alongside current senior international Evan Ferguson, who is a year his junior.
What a strike from Andrew Moran!#IRLU21 are level with Turkey in Turner's Cross 🇮🇪
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 8, 2023
📺 Watch live: https://t.co/1UYItwpgS1 pic.twitter.com/B0sHgAO6ev
Another Blackburn player, Australia-born Zak Gilsenan, also scored from the spot late in the game after coming on as a sub, before Aidomo Emhaku netted the winner deep into stoppage time.
San Marino are up next for Jim Crawford's squad on Tuesday, with live coverage on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, with Moran and Gilsenan expected to be at the fore again.
Dubliner Treacy came through the Blackburn academy before making first team appearances during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons and feels the Lancashire club has a good track record of developing younger players.
"Blackburn's underage system is briliant. It definitely was one of the best when I went to Blackburn about 15 years ago now," he told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"The facilites are excellent and any player going there will be really looked after. They're obviously all very technically gifted. (Moran) will be getting the best coaching, the best management, nutrition, physios.
"There's the best of everything there. And the one thing that is good for Andrew Moran is that some of the people in the background at Blackburn i.e. the secretaries, the people that work in the kitchens, they're really good people, family people. They'll look after you.
"When I moved over there, I was 15-years-old, I was moving over by myself and there were a lot of people that got round me.
"It helped me out a lot. I think with Andrew Moran there, when I hear he's at Blackburn, it makes me think, 'Lovely, that's a match made in heaven'.
"If he does have any ebbs or any lows, I'm sure there will be people in and around Blackburn that will dig him out of it."
Watch Republic of Ireland U-21 v San Marino U-21 in Euro 2025 Under-21 qualifying on Tuesday from 7pm on the RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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