I’ll be grateful to Mick forever — Aaron Connolly

Republic of Ireland striker Aaron Connolly says he will be forever grateful to Mick McCarthy for giving him his senior international debut, but he’s now looking forward to linking up again with Stephen Kenny.

The Galway native was almost ever-present for Kenny’s Irish U21 side, making 11 appearances, before a fine display in Brighton’s win over Tottenham saw McCarthy hand him his senior debut against Georgia last October.