Youngsters Maurice Nugent and Wilson Waweru sign back with Galway United for 2019

Galway United have confirmed that the young duo of Maurice Nugent and Wilson Waweru have signed new contracts at the club for the 2019 campaign.

The announcement comes days after the Tribesmen announced Conor Barry and Conor Melody are to stay at the club for the forthcoming campaign.

Alan Murphy, who took charge of the team for the tail end of last season following the dismissal of Shane Keegan in June, has also been confirmed as United’s permanent boss.

Nugent, 20, re-signs for the Éamonn Deacy Park outfit having established himself as a promising central defender since joining the club’s youth ranks in 2016.

The Clare native represented the club’s under-19 side for three years before he progressed to senior League of Ireland football during the ill-fated 2018 season.

“Maurice is a really, really ambitious guy, a great professional and a nice kid to boot,” Murphy told the club’s website.

“He pushed on last season. I’m on the inside track in terms of Maurice last season, both as a player and as a manager. I saw all the attributes that he has.

“Maurice is a serious athlete and even in the last six months he has pushed on dramatically in that regard.

“He’s going to have a huge year and he’s still involved in the Irish Colleges and Universities international squad.

“He’s on the radar and really hungry and ambitious. ‘Watch this space’ for Maurice.”

Also re-signing for the club is attacking star Waweru, 17, a fellow graduate of Galway United’s academy having suitably impressed for the club at under-17 and 19 levels.

Waweru, who joined the first team squad in July, ‘is still a work in progress’ according to Murphy, however, his ‘massive potential’ is something that excites the 37-year-old.

“Wilson can play in several attacking positions and is a serious athlete,” he said.

“He has an unbelievable x-factor in terms of his ability and what he can do on the pitch. He has that bit of flair and off the cuff natural talent that we need to hone and try to develop.

“Wilson could be another one of those players that could take off and light the league on fire at times. It’s very early days for him and he’s still a work-in-progress.

“He has loads of things to work on in terms of attitude, attributes and the characteristics he brings to the table, there will be a lot of work needed.

“He’s got loads of natural ability, loads of flair, but there are huge parts of the game that don’t involve those, discipline, knowing your job and the team aspect.

“Wilson is only in the infancy of learning that, but he has massive potential.”