Jim Magilton hails Irish League's rising stars with Linfield teenager leading the way

Jim Magilton has hailed the quality of the young talent coming through the Irish League highlighting the progress of Linfield's Braiden Graham in particular.

As Elite Performance Director with the Irish Football Association Magilton helped nurture the next generation of talent with the JD Club NI Elite Player Development programme giving them a pathway in the game. So many young stars have progressed in recent years with Graham the latest to secure a move to the Premier League when he joins Everton this summer.

The 16-year-old has already shown his quality with the Blues scoring a crucial goal against Larne in their march to BetMcLean Cup glory earlier this season. David Healy also handed Graham his first start in last Monday night's title decider against the Invermen and Cliftonville boss Magilton was impressed with what he saw.

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“I thought Braiden was out of this world, he showed great maturity against Larne," said Magilton. “His technical ability allied with tactical awareness of the game as well as his physical strength stood out. I can’t praise Braiden enough.

“You are coming up against a (Leroy) Millar, (Aaron) Donnelly, (Cian) Bolger, (Ro-Shaun) Williams and a (Tomas) Cosgrove and he’s playing against those guys. It was just a magnificent performance and we have few talented young players as well.

“Ryan Corrigan is another one we have high hopes for. We threw him on while 0-0 at Carrick. These lads play with no fear.

“Maybe the level of coaching has improved and more energy is put into youth development which is great because it will benefit the clubs and international teams down the line."

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