While Evan Ferguson is now grabbing all the attention, there is already a talented young Irish striker waiting in the wings to take the world by storm.
Mason Melia, who just turned 16, already has nine senior matches for St. Patrick’s Athletic under his belt and three goals to his credit. The young player, who is currently representing Ireland’s U-17 team internationally, just scored an amazing hat trick against Armenia.
Melia has been likened to Harry Kane and Evan Ferguson because he is a tall Irish striker, but who is this young man from a village of only 4,300 people and how talented is he really?
Is Melia any good?
Melia, a Kilcoole native, participated in a number of minor leagues before being signed by League of Ireland team St. Patrick’s Athletic in 2022. Similar to Evan Ferguson at Bohemians before him, the young man is currently working in Dublin. Having St. Pat’s in third place in the LOI standings will help Melia gain a lot of attention.
After making an impression with St. Pat’s junior team, the then-15-year-old was thrown into the senior team just months after arriving and scored on his debut in January 2023, becoming the team’s youngest-ever player and scorer.
A tall and quite lanky forward, Melia doesn’t get easily bullied off the ball, which makes him a good target player (hence the Ferguson comparisons). Despite his tender years, he is also quite well-rounded technically, though he obviously still has a lot of room for improvement – he is 16 after all.
To date, Melia has scored three goals in nine appearances for St. Pats and six goals in 16 appearances for Ireland’s U17s. He is the LOI’s third-youngest debutant after Evan Ferguson and the division’s youngest-ever goalscorer.
What clubs are interested in Melia?
Liverpool were credited with an interest in the youngster after he made his LOI debut in May 2023. Since then, reports involving the Reds have gone quiet and instead, it is Man City who have tested the waters regarding a potential transfer. In August 2023, Melia was reportedly on trial with the English treble winners.
