New Zealand U-20 international winger Norman Garbett has signed for League of Ireland club Dundalk on a season-long deal.
Garbett (20) played for the All Whites at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina and is the brother of All Whites midfielder Matt Garbett.
Dundalk say Norman Garbett will be eligible to play for them after July 1, 2024, pending international clearance.
London-born Garbett has been training with his new club for the past week.
Manager Jon Daly said he has been impressed by the youngster’s ability and attitude.
“Norman was willing to come over and train and go on trial with the club, which helps because you get a look at him up close and personal.
“He’s very raw but he is very explosive and he can get out of the blocks very, very quickly and go either way, left or right. He’s a player that I think will excite people.”
Norman Garbett became a free agent after competing a stint at Italian third-tier side Potenza Calcio.
“He’s got dual nationality and also holds a French passport, and after being in New Zealand, he was looking for an opportunity to play in Europe and went to Italy,” Daly told the club’s website.
“Things went on in the background at the club and he found himself in a position where he didn’t get many minutes and unfortunately missed out on the Olympic squad, which is disappointing for him.
“It’s going to take him a while to get up to speed, but it’s one of those where we’ll give the kid an opportunity to come in and try and find himself a home until the end of the season and then we’ll look at it after that.
“He’s been on different trials in the UK but he doesn’t meet the criteria to go there yet and obviously with him having an EU passport, it opened it up for us to bring him in and have a look and hopefully he can have an impact from an attacking sense between now and the end of the season.”
Garbett began his football journey playing for junior sides at Kapiti Coast United and Brooklyn Northern United, before playing his youth football for Western Suburbs.
Watch Norman Garbett score
Garbett scored a well-taken goal against Guatemala at the 2023 FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup.
Watch it here:
This story was first published on June 29, 2024.
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