Caulfield backs ‘intelligent’ Lenihan to thrive after football

John Caulfield has backed Brian Lenihan to carve out a successful future for himself, following the sad news that a recurring knee injury has forced the Cork native to retire from football at the age of just 23.

It was under Caulfield’s management that Lenihan broke through at Cork City in 2014, his outstanding performances for the club quickly attracting the attention of then Premier League side Hull City.

“Underage and as a schoolboy, he’d played midfield and centre-back, but when we took over we identified him as someone to play right-back and that’s probably where his career took off,” said Caulfield. “He was very consistent for us that season. He had tremendous pace, he was a terrific crosser of the ball and he was very composed on the ball. He had all the raw materials and, because we were doing well at the time, he got the exposure in the shop window.