Evan Ferguson is making all the headlines, but there is already another excellent young Irish striker waiting in the wings to become the next big thing.

Mason Melia, who only recently turned 16, already has nine senior appearances to his name for St. Patrick’s Athletic, boasting three goals. At the time of writing, the youngster is on international duty with Ireland’s U17s and recently netted a spectacular hattrick against Armenia.

Likened to Evan Ferguson due to his being a tall Irish striker, Melia has also been compared to Harry Kane, but who is this teenager from a small town of no more than 4,300 souls and how good is he really?

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What position does Melia play in?

Melia is a centre-forward with a good physique and skillset for his age.

How good is Melia?

Born in Kilcoole, Melia played for several youth teams before being snapped up by League of Ireland side St. Patrick’s Athletic in 2022. Like Evan Ferguson at Bohemians before him, the youngster now plies his trade in Dublin. Helped by the fact that St. Pat’s sit third in the LOI standings, Melia is bound to attract plenty of attention.

After impressing with St. Pat’s youth team, the then-15-year-old was thrust into the senior side just months on from his arrival and immediately found the net on his debut in January 2023, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player and scorer in the process.

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.

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When does Melia’s contract expire?

It is not known when Melia’s current contract expires.

How old is Melia?

Melia was born on September 22, 2007, making him 16 years old.

What is Melia’s Instagram?

Melia’s Instagram account is @masomelia and has 7.9k followers as of October 2023.