IRELAND U21 international Ollie O’Neill has left Fulham to join Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee.

The 21-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal for the side who are currently ninth in League One.

O’Neill last year joined Derry City on loan, scoring once in 19 Premier Division appearances for the club in what was his first taste of senior football.

The London-born winger was previously named Fulham’s Scholar of the Year for 2021 and registered seven goals and five assists in 12 appearances for their U21 side last season.

The move ends eight years at Fulham, while O’Neill began his youth career at Brentford in 2010.

“I’m really excited to be starting the next chapter of my career at Leyton Orient, a club that feels like it has got real momentum behind it at the moment,” O’Neill told the club’s website.

“I know that this is the right time for me to leave the nest of academy football. I had a good taste of senior football last season and now I’m ready to challenge myself in League One. I like to play wide, get on the ball, and create lots of chances for myself and my teammates.”

New boss Richie Wellens added: “He is someone that we have been aware of for a while and we were really impressed with him in our EFL Trophy game against Fulham earlier this season.

“In the last few weeks, Ollie has trained with us, which I’m really grateful to Fulham and Lingy [Martin Ling] for organising that, so we already know a bit about him.

“He is someone who likes to get on the ball and make things happen.”