BRISTOL CITY’S IN-FORM Irish defender Luke McNally has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, the club have confirmed.
The 25-year-old Meath man went off in the 73rd minute of his side’s 1-0 Championship defeat to Swansea on Sunday.
McNally, capped once at U19 level by Ireland and twice called up by Jim Crawford’s Ireland U21s without playing a game, has been one of Bristol City’s standout performers this season since joining from Burnley in the summer.
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The former Drogheda United and St Patrick’s Athletic centre-back has played in 28 of The Robins’ 31 Championship games this season, scoring three goals.
Prior to his side’s 2-0 victory over Stoke last night, City boss Liam Manning heaped praise on McNally, admitting that his absence for the rest of the campaign would feel pronounced.
“He’d hit a really good level of performance consistently,” Manning told BBC Radio Bristol. “I thought he had been excellent for us.
“So when you lose someone of his… the level of contribution that he’d had, his performance, his character, his desire to defend, all the positives he’d shown to everybody here — naturally, it’s disappointing.
“He’s loved by group, loved by us. It’s one that we’ll support, get around and make sure that he comes back stronger.”
McNally, who began playing football with his local side Enfield Celtic before joining Drogheda United’s youth ranks in 2015, moved to England with Oxford United in January 2021.
His opportunity in League One came off the back of an ever-present season with St Patrick’s Athletic in which he was named the club’s Young Player of the Year.
McNally was later signed by Vincent Kompany’s Burnley for a fee in the region of £2 million.
After loan spells at both Coventry and Stoke, he joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee last summer.
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Bristol City's in-form Irish defender Luke McNally suffers ACL blow
BRISTOL CITY’S IN-FORM Irish defender Luke McNally has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, the club have confirmed.
The 25-year-old Meath man went off in the 73rd minute of his side’s 1-0 Championship defeat to Swansea on Sunday.
McNally, capped once at U19 level by Ireland and twice called up by Jim Crawford’s Ireland U21s without playing a game, has been one of Bristol City’s standout performers this season since joining from Burnley in the summer.
The former Drogheda United and St Patrick’s Athletic centre-back has played in 28 of The Robins’ 31 Championship games this season, scoring three goals.
Prior to his side’s 2-0 victory over Stoke last night, City boss Liam Manning heaped praise on McNally, admitting that his absence for the rest of the campaign would feel pronounced.
“He’d hit a really good level of performance consistently,” Manning told BBC Radio Bristol. “I thought he had been excellent for us.
“So when you lose someone of his… the level of contribution that he’d had, his performance, his character, his desire to defend, all the positives he’d shown to everybody here — naturally, it’s disappointing.
“He’s loved by group, loved by us. It’s one that we’ll support, get around and make sure that he comes back stronger.”
McNally, who began playing football with his local side Enfield Celtic before joining Drogheda United’s youth ranks in 2015, moved to England with Oxford United in January 2021.
His opportunity in League One came off the back of an ever-present season with St Patrick’s Athletic in which he was named the club’s Young Player of the Year.
McNally was later signed by Vincent Kompany’s Burnley for a fee in the region of £2 million.
After loan spells at both Coventry and Stoke, he joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee last summer.
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