20-year-old Francis, who is a Northern Ireland U21 international, signed a four year deal with parent club Celtic in the summer of 2024 – and has already made his debut for the Hoops, against St Mirren in 2024 as a teenager.

Initially joining the club after catching the eye of scouts during his time with Glentoran, the midfielder made the move to Glasgow in the summer of 2022.

After spending a year with Celtic’s Under-18s, which also saw him play a part in lifting the Scottish Youth Cup at Hampden Park, he made the step-up to the B team – and has more than 70 games in the Lowland League under his belt.

Francis has been training with Martin O’Neill’s first-team squad regularly for the past two seasons – featuring in friendly matches – and spent the second-half of last season on loan at Ayr United in the Championship.