Preston North End midfielder finally gets his permanent move away from the club as he returns to Ireland

O’Reilly returns to the League of Ireland having spent last season there, on loan with St Patrick’s Athletic, but has instead now signed for one of their league rivals on a two-year deal.

St Patrick’s were one of four Irish sides reported to have been interested in the signature of the 22-year-old, with Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk also interested, as well as the successful Derry City.

City won the FAI Cup last season and are tipped, alongside Shamrock Rovers, to be challenging for the League of Ireland title this season. A clash between the two in Irish football’s regular curtain raiser, the Presidents Cup, could be O’Reilly’s first game for the club as Derry face off against last year’s league champions.

The move brings an end to a seven-year association between O’Reilly and North End, where the midfielder made one appearance, off the bench against Aston Villa in December 2018. After joining initially on trial from Ringmahon Rangers, the Irishman quickly garnered a reputation of one of the top talents in the North End academy.

He progressed through the ranks to sign a pro deal but found opportunities limited, with six loan spells away from Deepdale.

His best loan was his last, at St Patrick’s where he cemented himself as a key first team player.

The young midfielder played 35 times as they finished fourth in the league. He was twice named the club’s player of the month and was also called up to the Republic of Ireland U21s squad thanks to his fine form.

As well as getting plenty of game time whilst on loan, O’Reilly also experienced European football. He took part in the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League where St Pats beat NS Mura on penalties, setting up a meeting with CSKA Sofia in the next round.

O’Reilly’s future has been talked about a lot both in PR1 and back in Ireland, with North End allowing him to leave. He had been tipped to depart on many occasion and he sought regular game time but it seems that will finally be the case after the permanent switch.