Northern Ireland youth international Jamie McDonnell has become the latest prospect to sign a first professional contract with Nottingham Forest.
Yesterday saw Alex Gibson-Hammond put pen to paper, with 17-year-old McDonnell now following suit after moving from Glentoran at the start of the season.
He told the club website : “I am very happy, I have worked my whole life for it. I am happy to get it signed and to start my career at Forest. It feels like a big moment, as a child you always dream of becoming a professional footballer and moving to England has been a big change for me but I have adapted to it well and hopefully I can progress and get better.
“It has been a tough move for me physically as I am training all the time and I will be going home tired, whereas I was used to being fine before. It is a level up, technically and tactically, and the development you get here is unbelievable. I feel that I have progressed so much, physically and technically.
“I want to keep progressing, progress into the Under 23s team and get my first start and more minutes under my belt and progress on from there.
“You have seen a lot of young players progress here and I would love to do that, this club has a great record of progressing young players and developing them. It is the mental side that you have to develop to take that step, to deal with the setbacks as you always get those, and to make sure that you turn it into a positive to impact on your game.”
McDonnell has featured 11 times for the Reds' Under 18s so far this season, as well as making his debut for the Under 23s.
