CATHAL HEFFERNAN HAS signed his first professional contract at Cork City. 

The Ireland U16 international, who is the son of Irish Olympians Rob and Marian Heffernan, joined the Leesiders’s U15s from Ringhmahon Rangers in January 2019. 

In March, it was revealed that the centre-half was set to train with Serie A giants Juventus, Atalanta, AC Milan, and Roma.

However, he has put pen-to-paper with his hometown club. 

“I am very pleased to sign my first professional contract,” said Cathal. “I would like to thank all of the coaches who have worked with me up to this point. I am really looking forward to getting back playing again in the near future.”

Liam Kearney, City’s Head of Academy, added: “Cathal is a very promising young player, and we are delighted that he has signed back with the club.

“The pathway from the academy to the first team is well-established, and Cathal is another player with the potential to have a big future in the game.

“We are working hard to build our academy and being able to offer professional contracts to promising young players is another important step in the right direction.”

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