Killian Phillps hopes his loan move to Shrewsbury Town will make him an even better prospect for Crystal Palace.
The former Drogheda United midfielder has sealed a switch to the League One side until the end of the season.
Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira rates the Dubliner highly and feels he is ready to spread his wings after an impressive time with the Eagles.
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The Kilbarrack man, 20, joined the Premier League side in January, with Drogheda pocketing an initial fee in the region of €50,000.
And Phillips made his first-team breakthrough for Vieira in pre-season, before impressing in the U23 side.
He then made his competitive debut for Crystal Palace in their 2-0 EFL Cup win away to Oxford United in August.
But Shrewsbury - who are mid-table in League One - have swooped with a tempting loan offer and Phillips said: “I’m delighted to be joining on loan.
“It was great to make my first-team debut this season and now I want to push on. I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing League One football on a regular basis.”
Crystal Palace academy director Gary Issott said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for Killian to continue his development.
“We’ve been pleased with the work ethic and dedication he has shown at U21s level this season, which helped him earn his debut at the club.
“League One is an excellent level and I hope Killian can seize this opportunity and come back an even better player.”
Phillips trained with Shrewsbury for the first time on Wednesday and was in the stands for their League One clash with Cheltenham Town last night.
And according to manager Steve Cotterill, Shrews beat off competition from up to seven clubs for his signature.
Cotterill said: “We’re happy we have managed to jump the gun with that. We’ve known about him for a little while now. We’re really pleased we have got him in.
“He’s aggressive - a big, strong boy. He’s 6'3". He can nick a goal, he’s very good in both boxes and a really good athlete as well – he's a strong runner.
“Because of his size, he’s not necessarily going to be a sprinter – but he’s a strong runner and a really, really, good lad.”
Damien Delaney, the former Crystal Palace captain and Ireland defender, is a big admirer of Phillips.
And speaking to Mirror Sport in August, he predicted that Palace would send the youngster on loan sooner rather than later.
“He has to earn that loan move but from what I’ve been told, they’re really impressed,” said Delaney at the time.
"I spoke to a couple of people at Crystal Palace regarding him and they are really delighted by him.
“They weren't expecting him to have the impact on pre-season that he had with the first-team.
"They were impressed with his size, mobility but most importantly his attitude.”
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