Damien Duff: Let's call a spade a spade, Melia is playing catch-up
Damien Duff says that while Mason Melia's landmark transfer Tottenham Hotspur is 'brilliant' for St Pat's and the League of Ireland, the Shelbourne manager has warned that the teenager could be playing 'catch-up' when he arrives at the Premier League club aged 18.
The main topic of conversation on everyone's lips at the League of Ireland launch at the Mansion House in Dublin was the record-breaking transfer of 17-year old Mason Melia to Tottenham Hotspur.
Some 46 years after the late Trevor Francis became the first million pound player in England - though Brian Clough always claimed the deal was one pound short of that - Melia is the first League of Ireland player to be transferred for in excess of one million euros.
While Melia was not Duff's player, he acknowledges it's a good development for the league and he will be intrigued to watch his progress as an Ireland fan.
"It looks great yeah, I guess that's the benefit of having him stay until he's 18. If he went at 15 of 16 he's probably going for five or six figures, not seven figures.
"It's brilliant for him, brilliant for St Pat's financially, and I guess brilliant exposure for the league. I'll be intrigued to see how he gets on."
However, Duff offers a word of caution, adding that Melia may be playing 'catch-up' with his peers across the water, in that he has to wait until 18 before joining an elite coaching set-up.
The Brexit rules stipulate that players outside the UK cannot sign to English clubs until they turn 18, meaning Melia's departure has been paused until 1 January 2026.
Duff contrasts this with his experience as a teenager, having joined Blackburn Rovers as a 16-year old.
"It's the Catch 22 of this rule, going away to England, he has stayed here and got first team