Shamrock Rovers snap up Sean Hoare from Dundalk and ex-Premier League midfielder Chris McCann

Premier Division holders Shamrock Rovers have confirmed the double signing of defender Sean Hoare and Chris McCann for the 2021 season.

Hoare joins the Hoops from title rivals Dundalk while McCann – a boyhood Rovers fan – joins from Oldham after being released a few months ago.

26-year-old Hoare scored in the FAI Cup Final against Rovers at the Aviva Stadium to put his former employers 3-2 up. They would later win the game 4-2.

 “Sean fits everything we do,” Stephen Bradley told his club’s media team. “We tried to sign Sean a few years back and we didn’t get him, but we’ve always liked him.

“He fits our type of profile for a defender and he’s very versatile. He’s a good age as well so he’s one we’ve liked for quite some time.

“He’s played in the league a long time and obviously been very successful. He’s played in Europe and knows what the league’s about.

“Everything about him suits the type of player we bring in. He’s only 26 but he has a lot of experience.”

Also joining the club is 33-year-old Chris McCann who has had a successful career in the UK – playing for Burnley in the Premier League.

McCann was perhaps unfortunate to not have an Ireland cap to his name at Turf Moor, having suffered an ACL tear before the Ireland squad was named in October 2009.

His family are also Rovers fans – and add that to his range of ‘attributes’, Hoops boss Bradley was pleased to get the deal done.

“You just have to look at Chris‘ pedigree, where he’s played and the level he’s played at.

“He just recently won the MLS, so he’s played at a really high level. He’s a player that we feel improves us.

“He has a lot of really good attributes, and he’s one that once he became available, we were really keen to get done.

“He’s a player that improves us as a team and as a squad and makes us better.”