Ed Sykes/Getty Images
Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann has revealed that Aston Villa loanee Tommi O’Reilly has been training with the Villans’ Under-21 loan squad, which he believes has been ‘nowhere near’ the competitive level of League One football.
The Aston Villa academy graduate has spent much of his career away from Villa Park, enjoying loan spells with Real Union, Shrewsbury Town, MK Dons and Crewe Alexandra.
O’Reilly also attracted interest in the transfer market this summer, with several clubs keen to secure his services.
Enjoying this story?
Add Inside Futbol as a preferred source on Google.
The 22-year-old was expected to hold talks with Oxford United and Portsmouth in April, but neither move materialised.
O’Reilly later entered discussions over a loan move to Notts County and appeared set to join the League One side, only for Doncaster Rovers to hijack the move and take him on a season-long loan.
Doncaster have yet to win a game in League One this season and with the pressure mounting, McCann explained that some stars are taking time to get up to speed, including Villa talent O’Reilly.
McCann explained that O’Reilly has had some training at Aston Villa which was not at the level needed to operate in League One.
| Team | Year | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham City (C) | 2024–25 | 111 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (C) | 2013–14 | 103 |
| Charlton Athletic (C) | 2011–12 | 101 |
| Plymouth Argyle (C) | 2022–23 | 101 |
| Sheffield United (C) | 2016–17 | 100 |
However, McCann has made it clear that Doncaster have strong belief in O’Reilly and the other news stars at the Keepmoat.
Speaking to Doncaster Rovers’ club media (2:52), he said: “We’ve got a lot of players who obviously take time.
“Jordan [Thomas] has improved; Tommi O’Reilly had sort of been training with the Under-21s loan squad of Aston Villa for four to five weeks.
“And as we know, not knocking it at all, by the way, but that is nowhere near the League One sort of level of training and competitive football.
“So, just to mention a few, they are taking a little bit of time to get to the level, but we believe so much in them, and we are fortunate to have them here.”
O’Reilly has made three appearances for Doncaster, starting all three of them, and will be looking to kick on as the weeks pass.
The Doncaster boss recently made his expectations clear about O’Reilly and will be hopeful the Aston Villa talent can make a big impact.
