Republic of Ireland U21 star Liam Scales is targeting silverware after ending speculation about his future by signing with Shamrock Rovers.
The former UCD defender was highly sought after in recent months as he looked to jump ship from the already relegated Students, with the Hoops beating competition in St Pat's and Dundalk to land his signature - as well as capitalising on a Bristol Rovers deal that fell through in the summer.
And Scales, 21, claimed that the club's FAI Cup triumph over the Lilywhites earlier this month sealed the deal as he heads to Tallaght for the 2020 season.
“I’m delighted to get it all done," Scales said. "My time at UCD came to an end so it was time to move on and for me, Shamrock Rovers is the best option.
"They’re on the up and they’ve got a great crop of young players coming through. I was at the FAI Cup final and I seen how good that performance was and I just wanted to be part of something like that.
"Rovers played a Dundalk team that had won the league the last couple of years and they deserved to win that final. It was a great performance and that kind of swung it for me.
"Plus the history of the club and the stadium at Tallaght – I love playing there. They’ve got a young manager who wants to win the league and that’s huge for me.
"I want to win silverware and be part of a team that wins trophies. The lads proved last year that they can do that."
A versatile member of Stephen Kenny's trailblazing U21 squad this year, Hoops boss Stephen Bradley thinks that Shamrock Rovers and Scales are a match made in heaven.
“We’ve really liked Liam for quite some time," Bradley added.
"I think he has a lot of attributes that fit the way we play so it’s a great match, for Liam and the club.
"He’s had a lot of interest from outside the league and that’s been going on for quite some time so we’re delighted that he sees his future with us.”
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