Shaughnessy: Conor Glynn (Conor)
2017-Current
(Leeds Player Details)
(Player Details)
Central Defender
Born: Galway, Republic of Ireland : 30-06-1996
Debut: Bolton Wanderers (a) (substitute): 06-08-2017
6' 3" 11st 9lb (2018)
He was still at St Paul's Secondary School in Oughterard, County Galway when he was selected for the Republic of Ireland Under-Fifteens
in February 2011. He had already represented Ireland in Qatar and, after coming on as a substitute in a Friendly against Aspire Qatar on 9th
December 2010, he scored the winning goal in the sixty-third minute. He played central mid-field and his goal was described on the FAI website
as follows,"‘Shaughnessy produced the moment of the match by acrobatically turning mid-air to volley home the winner.” His brother Joe, also a
past pupil of St. Paul’s, enjoyed considerable success with his club and county before becoming a professional footballer in Aberdeen. Both he
and Conor played with the local Soccer club before Conor moved to Mervue Utd and later to Salthill Devon FC. Conor then moved to England
where he joined Reading in 2012. He had moved to Salthill Devon by the time he was picked by John Morling, on 10th January 2012 for the
Republic's Under-Sixteen squad to face Portugal at the Estadio Municipal das Caldas da Rainha on Tuesday, 17th January 2012 and the
Estadio Municipal da Nazare on Thursday, 19th January 2012 in a friendly double-header. He was also one of three Underage Players Named
in Irish Squad on 1st February 2012, while still with Mervue United by the Under-Eighteen manager, Paul Doolin, in his home based squad to
face Wales at Ferrycarrig Park, Wexford on the 15th February 2012. Conor Shaughnessy was still currently playing with the club's under sixteen
and seventeen sides. He had a short trial with the club in 2012 and was given a three year contact at the end of it in the summer of 2013.
Although only in the first year of a three-year contract at Reading, he was captain of the Reading Under-Seventeen team and though not
seventeen until July 2013, he soon captained the Reading Under-Seventeen side to a 4-1 win over Manchester United at the Carrington Training
facility in Manchester on a Saturday, and then faced Chelsea the following weekend. By the 2014-15 season he had moved up to the Reading
Under-Twenty-Three team and started nine, was a substitute six times and sat unused on the bench four times. He had also scored his first goal
in the thirteenth minute of a 2-5 away defeat at Newcastle United, when he had given Reading a 2-0 lead. In the following season, 2015-16, he
started sixteen and sat unused once. He was released by Reading at the end of his three year contract in May 2016. He had trials at Sheffield
United and then at Leeds and played as a trialist for the Leeds Development squad in a friendly with Tadcaster Albion on 19th July 2016 which
Leeds won 2-0. He scored the opening goal, a minute before half-time, with a screamer from just outside the box which will no doubt caught the
eye of Leeds United’s development management. He was offered a one year contract, on 1st September 2016. He started six and was a
substitute once for the team that season. He had represented the Republic at most levels since school. He had scored once in four appearances
for the Under-Fifteens in 2011-2012. In 2012 he had gained two caps at Under-Sixteen, both against Portugal, and one at Under-Eighteen. In
2013 he gained one cap as an Under-Seventeen. At Under-Nineteen he had gained two caps against Macedonia and Ukraine. In May 2017 his
contract was extended by a year. He also started to get recognition as an Under-Twenty-One International in the UEFA European Under-Twenty-
One Championship Qualifiers, Group Five. On 5th September 2017 he was on the bench in a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan at the Dalga Arena in Baku,
and a month later was again unused as Norway were held 0-0 at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin. Four Days later he came on as a seventy-seventh
minute replacement for Declan Rice at the same venue. He was again on the bench for the reverse fixture on 14th November 2017 with Norway at
the Marienlyst Stadion in Drammen. On 6th August 2017, he made his Championship debut in a 3–2 away victory over Bolton Wanderers. He
came on as a sixty-sixth minute replacement for the injured Matthew Pennington at centre back. It was no an easy baptism as he had barely been
on the field for a minute when he conceded a penalty. Three days later he made his first start for the Leeds first team in a 4–1 League Cup victory
over Port Vale at Elland Road This was followed by his first Championship start, on 15th August 2017, in a 0-0 home draw against Fulham. His
performances for the club led to him to sign a new four year deal in September 2017. On 7th January 2018, Shaughnessy scored an own goal in
Leeds' 1-2 shock defeat to lowly Newport County in the FA Cup. But worse was to follow, Shaughnessy picked up a serious ankle injury when he
started in Leeds' 0-0 draw against Hull City on 30 January 2018. The injury ultimately ruled Shaughnessy out for the remainder of the season. On
14th August 2017, Shaughnessy returned to a match-day squad for the first time, when he was named on the bench for Leeds in the League Cup
fixture against Bolton Wanderers. Two more stints unused on the bench followed in the away games with Swansea City on 21st August 2018, and
four days later at Norwich City. He made his first appearance after injury when he started against Preston North End on 28th August 2017, but was
replaced by Samu Saiz at half-time, as Leeds had to chase the game. The return to form, and from injury, of other members of the Leeds back
line has limited Shaughnessy's playing time with the first team, but he is firmly in manager Marcelo Bielsa plans for the 2018/19 campaign and
beyond. He added two full caps to his Under-Twenty-One collection to bring it to three with two starts, one as a substitute, and there was also three
games where he was unused. He played full games in the Group Five of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifying games on 7th
September 2018 in a 1-1 draw against Kosovo at the Stadiumi Olimpik Adem Jashari in Mitrovica and a 0-6 home defeat by Germany four days
later at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin.