Patrick McClean: ‘I wasn’t signing anywhere other than Glentoran once I knew I’d be back’

Defender Patrick McClean has re-signed for Glentoran

Defender Patrick McClean has revealed he was only going to re-sign with Glentoran for the upcoming season after coming out of retirement.

The 26-year-old centre-back was confirmed on Sunday afternoon to be returning to The Oval for the 2023/24 campaign having retired back in February.

Derry man McClean, the brother of Republic of Ireland international James, joined the Glens from Derry City in 2019 and helped them to Irish Cup glory in his first season.

And after walking away from the game five months ago for personal reasons, the defender is back in a green jersey and he admits he wasn’t going to sign anywhere else.

“I want to apologise to the club, to my team mates and especially to the supporters for how I left in February. I know the timing was poor but at the time I had issues in my life that I was struggling with and I couldn’t concentrate on football the way I needed to,” said McClean.

"I know I put the club in a difficult position at an important stage of the season and I can only apologise for that to everyone involved.

“Other clubs have contacted me but this wasn’t about going anywhere else. I knew if I came back to football I wanted it to be at Glentoran as I’ve been very happy here and have been treated so well since I joined.

"The reasons I needed to take time away from football were nothing to do with Glentoran or football. They were completely personal and at the time I felt I had no choice.

“Now I’m just happy to be back and I’m looking forward to making a contribution on the pitch and to helping Warren and the rest of the boys bring success and trophies to the club this season.”

McClean will add to an already quality defensive line at Glentoran, with