Blackburn Rovers recall Connor O’Riordan from Cambridge United loan spell

Connor O’Riordan has had his spell at Cambridge United cut short.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international joined the U’s in the summer from Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan deal.

However, the defender’s Championship parent club had a recall clause in the agreement and they have now triggered it.

The 21-year-old featured in the starting line-up in the first four League One fixtures following his arrival, but the 2-1 defeat at Mansfield on 14 September remains his most recent appearance in a league encounter.

In the 19 league matches that have followed, O’Riordan has been omitted from the matchday squad on nine occasions – including the last four games in a row. In the other 10 fixtures the former Crewe Alexandra centre-back has been an unused substitute.

And while the move did not work out in terms of minutes on the pitch, Cambridge head coach Garry Monk believes that O’Riordan will have still benefitted from the experience.

“What a fantastic lad, a brilliant lad and I think he’s going to have a really good career,” said Monk.

“I’ve had a lot of communication with Connor and there’s a little bit of ownership from himself. He did very well when he first came in and then we had an international break. We came back for the Mansfield game, had Charlton in the EFL Trophy and in my opinion he was not performing as high as he could.

“Then there was a change in (tactical) approach around that time when we played Wycombe and then other guys started to perform well in that position. That’s when you find yourself being a sub or in secondary positions.

“The other lads had a strong period, but what Connor has done brilliantly – for a young lad – he’s got his head down and worked hard. We’ve tried to work really hard with him individually on the things he needs to improve – not just for now but for his future as well.

“It’s a good experience for him. He had a good start and maybe it’s not a good ending for him, but as an experience and what we’ve tried to help him with individually, it will end up a good experience for him and this is part of the journey as a young lad.

“I can’t speak highly enough of him, the way he’s conducted himself, how good of a lad he is and how well liked he is by the lads. We wish him all the best for the future.”

O’Riordan is the second on-loan player to leave Cambridge in the space of 24 hours after goalkeeper Vicente Reyes was recalled by Norwich City.