Former Lincoln City midfielder Danny Mandroiu, who turned down a new contract with the Imps, looks set for a move back to the League of Ireland.
The Times are reporting Mandroiu is a target for former employers Shamrock Rovers, and fellow League of Ireland side St Patrick’s Athletic, as both hunt success in Europe.
The 25-year-old, who left Shamrock for Lincoln in 2022, turned down a new deal with the Imps after two seasons. He appeared 65 times and scored 15 goals, a significant portion of which were penalties. In an injury-hit first season, he played just 29 matches, and a controversial second season saw him sent off twice for reckless challenges, helping get his manager the sack, and miss a penalty in his final game that could have sealed a play-off spot.
He had been linked with Blackpool this summer but has now been spotted in the stands at Shamrock Rovers’ Tallaght Stadium as they defeated NK Celje of Slovenia in the UEFA Europa League to guarantee group-stage football next season. Mandroiu, who was once a target for Standard Liege, is sure to be lured by the prospect of regular European exposure.
It’s also believed the Dublin-born attacker is a target for St Patrick’s, themselves hunting a place in Europe next season. If they can defeat Istanbul Basaksehir F.K, then they will also secure group stage football, and the financial reward that may come with it, allowing them to match Mandroiu’s wage requirements.
The player started his career with St Kevin’s Boys, moving to Brighton and Hove Albion as a youth. He was unsettled on the south coast and headed back to Ireland, first with Bohemians but later joining Stephen Bradley at Shamrock Rovers. He moved to the LNER Stadium in the summer of 2022 for a ‘low five-figure’ fee, a release clause in his contract.
Writer’s View
Mandroiu is a talented boy, there’s no doubt about it, but Lincoln fans will argue he is also flawed. His tackle against Burton, with the game poised at 0-0, led to a red card and a goal, and afterwards, Mark Kennedy called the player out. That got the former Liverpool player the sack, and Mandroiu was welcomed back into the fold, only to get another red a couple of months later.
It’s believed he was offered the same terms for re-engagement with the Imps but wanted more to remain in League One, something the club were not prepared to do. That left him as a free agent, with few tears spilled by the Lincoln supporters. He hasn’t managed to find a new club, despite interest from Blackpool, and now a return to Ireland looks likely.
It always felt like he was struggling to settle in Lincoln, as he did in Brighton, and a return to his homeland might be the best thing for him to start enjoying his football again. If he does, he’s a class act, but he has to cut out the petulance that dogged his Imps tenure.
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