Kenny praises Sunderland bound McClean
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
With James McClean due on Wearside on Monday to undergo a medical with Sunderland with a view to completing a deal worth between £300,000 and £350,000, Stephen Kenny must now plan Derry City's path to the Premier Division title without his star winger. Faced with his imminent departure, Kenny tonight offered a glowing appraisal of McClean's time at his hometown club.
"He's a dream to manage, James - just a dream. He's been a dream since he came in the door with the bag over his back; walking out in the Creggan estate down to the Brandywell, where he can walk from his house down to the pitch. He came in and we got a hold of him, and we nurtured him. And every day he comes in and he wants to get better; never wants to leave the training ground, doesn't drink, eats well, fittest player at the club, wants to be a player. [He was] never capped at any level until he was 20, you know. All the players in his class at the school in Creggan, St. Peter's, they were getting capped for Northern Ireland, for the Republic - but he wasn't. So it just shows you, as a late developer, if you want it enough, [you can make it]."
Kenny also spoke about the deal itself, concluding that the best way to get over the loss of James McClean is to find another one. The Derry boss was philosophical on the subject of the finer details of the fee.
"Who can say what his value will be in a year's time? The better deal would have been to keep him until the end of the season, but that wasn't possible. So am I happy with the deal? I don't have the player so I'm not {laughs}. There has to be [life after McClean]. We have to be resolute and we have to unearth more players in the locality.
McClean was an unused substitute tonight at Terryland Park where Derry City went top of the Premier Division with a 3-0 win of Galway United. An Eamon Zayed brace and a late strike from Patrick McEleney was enough to claim all three points.
"He's a dream to manage, James - just a dream. He's been a dream since he came in the door with the bag over his back; walking out in the Creggan estate down to the Brandywell, where he can walk from his house down to the pitch. He came in and we got a hold of him, and we nurtured him. And every day he comes in and he wants to get better; never wants to leave the training ground, doesn't drink, eats well, fittest player at the club, wants to be a player. [He was] never capped at any level until he was 20, you know. All the players in his class at the school in Creggan, St. Peter's, they were getting capped for Northern Ireland, for the Republic - but he wasn't. So it just shows you, as a late developer, if you want it enough, [you can make it]."
Kenny also spoke about the deal itself, concluding that the best way to get over the loss of James McClean is to find another one. The Derry boss was philosophical on the subject of the finer details of the fee.
"Who can say what his value will be in a year's time? The better deal would have been to keep him until the end of the season, but that wasn't possible. So am I happy with the deal? I don't have the player so I'm not {laughs}. There has to be [life after McClean]. We have to be resolute and we have to unearth more players in the locality.
McClean was an unused substitute tonight at Terryland Park where Derry City went top of the Premier Division with a 3-0 win of Galway United. An Eamon Zayed brace and a late strike from Patrick McEleney was enough to claim all three points.
About Dean Hayes
Dean covers Waterford United and, due to a challenge from Gareth, writes in an increasingly Gonzo style. Having found himself with a considerable surplus of a culinary herb, Dean founded sister 'site extrathyme.ie some years … View Full Profile