With academy prospect Connor Ronan exploding onto the Wolves scene, Joe Williams looks at how the 18-year- old has got to where he is today and what could lie in store for the future.
Connor Ronan has always been highly regarded within Wolves’ youth academy but has since been creating headlines for himself with his performances in the first team.
Back in December 2016, Ronan made his senior team debut with a nine-minute cameo against Nottingham Forest where he helped seal out a 2-0 win at the City Ground.
However, his inclusion was not a surprise to those who have followed the midfielders’ development over the years.
A Republic of Ireland youth international and the captain of Scott Sellars under-23s side, he had been notably applauded for both his quality on the pitch and his attitude to the game over the years.
Since then, his excellent technical ability on the ball, his quick direct nature and his vision and skill has put him under Paul Lambert’s radar and as a result his opportunities have finally come.
Ronan made notable strides against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and even at Anfield in the 2-1 FA Cup 4th round win.
But it was his performance against Wigan on a late winters night at Molineux recently that saw many gravitate their interests towards him, despite the disappointing result.
He seemed to be one of the few bright sparks of the game and is yet to look out of place.
Academy guru @Wolves_Academy had this to say about the rising star “It was abundantly obvious when we first saw Connor Ronan aged 16 it was a matter of when he would make his Wolves first team debut and not if.”
Someone who could be positioned as a centre midfielder going forward, the academy expert believes Ronan to be ‘technically fantastic’ and possesses a ‘great footballing brain’. Something which has already been evident to fans in his early outings in the first team.
Some have questioned his physicality with his age and size but Lambert has insisted that this is not a problem and with the backing of the fans, players and Lambert himself, Ronan seems to be on a steady ship to greatness.
You only have to look at the success of the mini Pirlo Jack Price to know that both these attributes aren’t negative factors in this league.
As a result, many of the Molineux faithful have called for Lambert to continue to start the youngster in the first time side.
Either way Ronan will now look to continue his progression with the aim of becoming a future Wolves star, by continuing to prove himself and develop on and off the pitch, and with a new contract sustaining his services till at least 2019, he is well on his way to doing so.
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