ENDA STEVENS WILL be playing Championship football next season after signing for Sheffield United.
The former St Patrick’s Athletic and Shamrock Rovers defender was part of the Portsmouth side which won the League Two title and secured promotion under Paul Cook .
But his Pompey contract ran out at the end of the season, leaving him free to join the newly-promoted Blades ahead of their return to English football’s second tier.
“I’m delighted the paperwork has been done early. It gives me the chance to settle in and concentrate on my football as soon as we report back for pre-season training,” the 26-year-old said on Monday.
“I enjoyed working under the gaffer (Chris Wilder) for a short spell at Northampton and how he plays the game is similar to the approach at Portsmouth so hopefully it will be a smooth transition.”
United manager Wilder said he was happy to link back up with Stevens after managing him while on loan at Northampton Town in 2014.
He said: “We had Enda at Northampton on loan and it was clear he needed to play regular football. He’s done that over the last couple of years and picked up a few honours at Portsmouth.
“He is an attacking full-back and the way we play, the wide areas are important – Enda provides us with extra options. He is a good age and has designs to play international football.”
Stevens was named in the Skybet League Two Team of the Year for 2016/17 as Portsmouth recorded the best defensive record in League Two, conceding just 40 goals in 46 games.
Following spells at UCD and Pat’s, he joined Shamrock Rovers where he won back-to-back Premier Division titles in 2010 and 2011 and featured in the club’s 2011/12 Europa League campaign.
Stevens joined Aston Villa at the start of 2012 before embarking on loan spells at Notts County, Doncaster Rovers and Northampton.
He then moved to Portsmouth in July 2015, making 90 appearances for the club out of 92 league games in League Two over the past two seasons
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