Northern Ireland senior boss Michael O’Neill has wished teenage prodigy Chris Atherton well after he switched allegiance back to the Republic of Ireland.
The 17-year-old became the youngest ever senior player in British and Irish football when he featured for Glenavon in an Irish League Cup game just over a month before he turned 14.
Atherton turned out for Northern Ireland at both U16 and U17 level, but he had initially been involved with a Republic youth team and switched his allegiance there last month.
Chris Atherton in action for Glenavon
Chris Atherton in action for Glenavon
Now at Chelsea, for whom he signed three years ago, the former Maghery Gaelic footballer is a highly-rated attacking midfielder or forward.
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O’Neill acknowledged losing the player was a blow, but accepted that such moves happen and will continue to occur:
“Look, it’s disappointing. A young player that had been initially in the Republic of Ireland set-up, he again came back to be part of our set-up.
“He wasn’t a resident in the JD Academy although he did come into the JD Academy, where he played a lot.
“I think Chris played maybe 17 times for representative teams for us at this minute in time.
“But every player has the right to make that choice and obviously he’s made that choice.
“It’s disappointing but we have to accept it, it moves on.”
NI have lost others, including another who’s on Chelsea’s books but currently on loan at Cardiff City:
“We had it with Omari Kellyman, he made a similar decision and went back to England.
“Players have choices. We can’t handcuff them to a decision that they made initially.
“They have the right to make that choice once in their career and Chris has decided to make that choice and we can only wish him well.”