WSL champions Man City lead chase for Bohs teenager Aoibhe Brennan

 Olivia Damico of Shelbourne in action against Aoibhe Brennan of Bohemians during the Club Orange Women's FAI Cup quarter-final. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

WSL champions Manchester City are favourites to sign Bohemians’ teenage midfielder Aoibhe Brennan.

The youngster earned her first senior call-up for the Ireland squad in April but injury prevented her reporting for the pair of World Cup qualifiers against Poland.

City have previously recruited Tyler Toland and Tara O’Hanlon from Ireland although Jessie Stapleton chose West Ham United ahead of them as her first UK club.

They have high hopes for a player who Ireland boss Carla Ward identified as a standout from the domestic league.

City last year launched their Next Gen U21 team which competed in a 10-team northern edition alongside their neighbours Manchester United. Hannah Dingley last year left the FAI to join City as Girls Academy director.

“It's the way she moves, actually," said Ward earlier this year about the Ireland U19 captain.

"She plays in a way - and it’s funny, I said to a couple of staff when we watched her last week at Bohs, 'Just watch the basics'.

"She finds little pockets of space, she makes the basic decisions very, very well.

“Usually, if you know someone’s coming to watch, you try to do a little bit more, (but) that’s not her style. You could see that.

"I think she didn’t give the ball away once in the first half.

“She plays in a way that I like, very different to what we’ve got. Listen, we’re under no illusions, she’s very young, she’s learning but has got great potential.”