Meath native Sam Curtis has signed for Sheffield United from St Patrick’s Athletic, both clubs confirmed on Thursday.
Curtis, who was part of St Pat’s recent FAI Cup-winning outfit, has signed with the Blades on a three-year deal after the expiration of his contract in Inchicore.
The 18-year-old, a Republic of Ireland U21 international, made 60 appearances for St Pat’s since joining them in 2021 from Shamrock Rovers. He became St Pat’s youngest ever player when he debuted at the age of 15 years and 255 days old.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder said: “Sam is one for the future, and we are looking forward to seeing how he progresses at Shirecliffe. He’s a player who Keith Andrews knows well, and we think he will benefit from being in our environment.
Markets in Vienna or Christmas at The Shelbourne? 10 holiday escapes over the festive season
Ciara Mageean: ‘I just felt numb. It wasn’t even sadness, it was just emptiness’
Stealth sackings: why do employers fire staff for minor misdemeanours?
Carl and Gerty Cori: a Nobel Prizewinning husband and wife team
“Of course, we spoke about players that we were signing in January as potential starters, but Sam is different and we could not turn down the opportunity to bring him to United.”
Curtis, meanwhile, added: “I ultimately made the decision to come here because I think the club is on the rise and, obviously, Chris Wilder is back in as manager which is good. You can see that the club love him, and all the players really respect him. I do think the club is on the up, you can see that in recent performances, it is getting better game-by-game.
“The thing which has impressed me so far is how I have been welcomed with open arms. Coming in, all the players straightaway introduced themselves to me, which is really helpful coming from a different country, so that was a big thing for me.”
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
