Last Friday, Michael Noonan returned to the scoresheet for Shamrock Rovers, with the second goal in their 2-0 win over Waterford.
The 17-year-old needs little introduction as one of the brightest young talents in the country and has been capped all the way up to Under-21 level for the Republic of Ireland.
Naturally in a League of Ireland which has already seen Mason Melia join Tottenham Hotspur and Noonan’s Hoops’ team-mate Victor Ozhianvuna seal a future move to Arsenal, the young striker has long been seen as the next cab off the rank.
A couple of weeks ago, Dutch giants Ajax were credited with an interest in signing him. More recently, the Irish Examiner reported that Nottingham Forest have joined the race for his signature.
They are not the only clubs linked with him, German top flight side Hoffenheim being another long-standing suitor who have dipped their toes in the Irish market before.
Ultimately, Noonan has choices ahead of him if he chooses to make a move abroad, whether that be across the Irish Sea or further afield onto the continent.
Former Republic of Ireland winger Keith Treacy, who coached Noonan during his formative years in the St Patrick’s Athletic youth ranks, shared his view on the choices that lie ahead for the teenager, and from his point of view, life off the field will be almost as important as his playing prospects.
“It’s difficult to answer because on paper you’re probably thinking avoid England, there’s a better, quicker route into a first team somewhere else, maybe in Europe,” he said on an RTÉ Soccer Podcast episode appearance alongside former Ireland team-mate Stephen Kelly before they got their World Cup duties underway.
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
“But you have to sit down with the clubs and you have to speak about where they feel Michael is at in his career, what their ambition is for him, what direction the club is going in, what style of play they adopt.
“Is their curriculum to get players from the academy into the first team? Do they have loads of money in the bank? Can they go out and shell out on other players?
“All this stuff will come into your thinking. Where should he go? Wherever he feels comfortable.”
Treacy recalled his own experiences as a teenager who had a plethora of options, including Arsenal – the club he supports – before deciding on a move to Blackburn Rovers.
Keith Treacy made his first-team breakthrough at Blackburn Rovers
“It’s fairly similar. When I went to Blackburn at 15, I went to 16 Premier League clubs on trial,” the Dubliner said.
“I went to one up in Scotland, I had other teams on the continent, but I didn’t bother with that, (because) that wasn’t really the done thing back in the day.
“I went to (Manchester) United, I went to Arsenal, but the place where I felt most comfortable and felt most loved and thought I had a pathway into the first team was Blackburn Rovers.
“So that was the best thing for me. And only Michael will know. Michael and his team around him when they sit down with Nottingham Forest or Ajax, they will get a feel of how much the club want him and how much they value him as a player.
“And like I say, wherever he feels comfortable, go and have a couple of days in both training grounds or any training ground that’s interesting.
“Have a little look around the city, have a look at where you could possibly be living – the stadium also.
“Do they speak English predominantly in the dressing room is a big one. Are there any other Irish there? All this stuff comes into it because it’s not just a footballing move.
“It’s not just about the 90 minutes he’s going to play on the weekend. It’s about life on a day-to-day basis for him.
“And he’s still a very young kid. It’s not as easy as go over there and play football and everything will be rosy in the garden.
“There’s a life to be lived off the pitch. So it’s a difficult one to answer. Only Mick and his team around them will know. But for Michael, just keep doing what you’re doing for Shamrock Rovers. Keep doing what you’re doing for the underage Irish team. And the sky is the limit for him, it really is.”
Watch every game of the FIFA 2026 World Cup live on RTÉ with highlights on RTÉ Sport digital platforms and live blogs on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences