Shamrock Rovers sign ex-Cork City midfielder Matt Healy 

Matt Healy of Republic of Ireland in action during the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifier match between Republic of Ireland and Turkey. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Shamrock Rovers have confirmed the signing of former Cork City midfielder Matt Healy from Beligian Challenger Pro League outfit, Royal Francs Borains.

Healy - who had six months left on his contract in Belgium - has put pen-to-paper on a multi-year deal at Rovers.

Healy began his career with College Corinthians before joining Ipswich Town's academy in July of 2018.

The 22-year-old centre-midfielder's first involvement with Ipswich was in November 2020, and the following summer he signed his first professional contract with the club

The Cork native returned home to spend the 2022 season on loan to Cork City.

He scored 4 goals in 26 league games as City won the First Division and gained promotion. Having made a positive impression on then-manager Colin Healy, he returned to the Rebel Army for the first half of the 2023 campaign.

After being released by Ipswich, he signed for Royal Francs Borains, scoring 4 goals in 29 matches last season. He has started 14 of their 15 league games so far in this campaign.

In September 2023, Healy made his Ireland Under-21 debut in a game against Turkey.

Republic of Ireland under-21 midfielder Matt Healy. Pic: Matteo Ciambelli

He will now be added to the Hoops' UEFA Conference League squad for the Molde games in the Conference League in February.

“I’m delighted to sign for such a massive and successful club like Rovers. I’m here to add to that success in the seasons to come," Healy said. “I got a phone call from Stephen Bradley recently, and he knew there had been interest in me and that he’d like me to get involved at Rovers. So, I spoke about it with my family and my team, and thought it’d be a good opportunity for me so I’m delighted to get involved.”

“I had six months left on my contract but I was eager to leave and try something new. So the opportunity came up when Stephen rang me and I’ve decided to grab it with both hands.”

Rovers boss Stephen Bradley added: “We liked him from the time Matt played against us when he was at Cork. We knew back then he was tied up with the other club, but we kept an eye on Matt. 

"When we felt there was a possibility that we could get him home, we did everything possible to make it happen. It took a lot of talk and convincing, but I’m delighted that Matt feels the next part of his development is at Rovers. 

"At 22, he’s a brilliant age, he has really good attributes as a midfielder and has a brilliant attitude and good head on his shoulders. He’s focused, determined and ambitious, so he’ll fit a lot of what we do.”