Arsenal loanee Jordan McEneff overcame his recent injury scare to return to action this weekend, and his manager hopes he’ll stay beyond the summer.
Arsenal loan midfielder Jordan McEneff sparked fears of an injury setback after his withdrawal just 22 minutes into his first start for Shelbourne FC on Monday.
It turns out the substitution was only precautionary, and McEneff returned to the squad on Friday, before coming off the bench late in the first half following a teammate’s injury. McEneff completed 46 minutes without issue on the night.
Shelbourne FC boss Damien Duff is already hoping McEneff will consider sticking around beyond the end of his six-month loan.
“He’s had nearly two years off,” Duff said. “It’s just about getting him up to speed. It’s not ideal with trying to get on grass patches at the minute, it’s not ideal for him with his loan and what have you.
“Listen, with Jordy, he’s obviously signed until the summer, and [we’re] hoping he’ll enjoy it that much and be up to a certain speed so he’s actually catching people’s eye, that he wants to stay until the end of the season.
“There’s so much more to come from him.”
When Duff refers to “the end of the season”, he’s talking about the Irish season, which runs on a calendar-year basis. As things stand, McEneff is set to end his loan midway through Shelbourne’s campaign.
After that, his contract with Arsenal is up, so there’s going to be a decision to make. Arsenal will have to decide whether to offer him a new deal, and McEneff will need to evaluate his next best steps.
From a Shelbourne point of view, it already looks like they’re hoping to keep the 21-year-old. So that keeps one option open, at least.