Nottingham Forest defender Aaron Donnelly was in action for the Northern Ireland under-21s on Friday and received a red card. The player was dismissed for a back challenge after just 37 minutes and left his team a man light.
Donnelly is currently on loan with Dundee. He has been called into the Northern Ireland under-21s as a talented future with a very bright future ahead of him.
However, he had a bout of ill-discipline on Friday and now he will hope to learn from this incident. Donnelly’s dismissal didn’t impact Northern Ireland too much and they still beat Azerbaijan 1-0.
Donnelly sent off for Northern Ireland
This was not ideal for the Green and White Army. They had to really dig in to defeat Azerbaijan but in the end, Ciaran McGuckin scored the game’s only goal to keep their UEFA Euro-U21 qualification hopes alive.
Donnelly was on loan with Port Vale last season and he did relatively well under Darrell Clarke. This season, he’s already bounced back from an injury with Dundee and he will hope to now get some games for them.
The player who can operate as a left-back or as a centre-back and he’s yet to feature for Dundee. Now he’s over his latest injury, however, he could be called upon very soon.
Forest will be keeping close tabs on Donnelly
It’s a big season for the versatile player and he will hope to really get going in Scotland now. With Forest youngster Josh Powell catching the eye during pre-season, Donnelly will know the competition for places is rife.
The player is a steady performer though and he will fancy his chances of a Forest shot. Given that he can play as a full-back or a centre-back, there should be plenty of opportunities.
The longer Forest remain in the Premier League, however, the harder it will become for Donnelly. As a result, the 20-year-old will aim to make a name for himself at Dundee and prove he can cut it in a top division.
This sending-off is a bit of a blow for Donnelly. This was a good chance for him to get some game time for his country’s under-21 outfit and now he will miss out through suspension next time around.
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