An in-depth look at our latest winter recruit, John Egan…
Born in Cork, Ireland, John Egan was born into a sporting family. His father John represented Kerry in Gaelic football, a sport Egan played for Bishopstown alongside hurling, while his mother Mary won the League of Ireland in football.
Beginning his youth career at Greenwood FC in Togher, the defender travelled to England to sign for Sunderland in July 2009, joining the Academy of Light. Making his first reserve appearance for the Black Cats against Hull City in the Premier Reserve League North two months later, his first goal for Sunderland’s reserves came in a 1-1 draw against West Ham United in March 2011.
Signing a professional contract ahead of the 2011/12 season, the Cork-born defender played 11 games for Sunderland’s reserves, captaining the Black Cats in an impressive 2-0 win over Arsenal before joining Crystal Palace on loan two days later. The now-32-year-old made his senior debut in professional football for Palace a day later in the third round of the FA Cup against Derby County.
Making his Football League debut in a 2-1 defeat against Blackpool for Palace before returning to Sunderland, Egan joined Sheffield United on loan to play one fixture in March 2012, a 3-2 away defeat against Walsall.
Featuring for Sunderland in their pre-season tour of South Korea in July 2012 in the Peace Cup, Egan trained regularly with the first team for Martin O’Neill’s side, before joining Bradford City on a three-month loan deal in November of the same year. Making his debut in a goalless draw against Chesterfield, Egan was restricted to playing just four games for the Bantams before having the loan cut short after suffering a broken leg.
Signing a one-year extension in March 2013, Egan made his long awaited comeback in the Under-21 Premier League against West Bromwich Albion in November 2013, almost a year after suffering his broken leg. Three months after his comeback, the defender joined Southend United on an initial emergency loan, making his debut in a 1-1 draw against Wycombe Wanderers.
His third outing for the club saw him score his first senior goal with a thunderous strike over Scunthorpe United, a finish that would later win Southend’s Goal of the Season award. Extending his loan at the end of March for the remainder of the campaign, Egan helped Southend reach the League Two play-offs, losing to Burton Albion in the semi-finals. Despite making 15 appearances for Southend, Egan was released by his parent club Sunderland at the end of the 2013/14 season.
In July 2014, the 32-year-old joined Gillingham on a two-year deal. His first campaign saw a brilliant breakout season for the then-young defender, scoring five goals in 52 outings. His consistent form saw Egan win the club’s Player of the Year and Away Player of the Year awards.
Captaining Gillingham in an opening-day win against Sheffield United, scoring in the 4-0 victory, the 2015/16 campaign saw Egan net six goals and record three assists in 40 outings, as well as being named in the PFA’s League One Team of the Year.
After rejecting a new contract with the Gills, the defender joined then-Championship side Brentford for the start of the 2016/17 season. Making his Bees debut against Huddersfield Town, his home debut brought his first goals for the club, netting both in a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town on his third Brentford outing.
Scoring four goals in a total of 37 outings in his first campaign for the West London side, Egan was appointed captain of Brentford in August 2017. Keeping 15 clean sheets and scoring three goals in 34 appearances, Egan rejoined former loan club Sheffield United in July 2018 on a four-year contract for an undisclosed club-record fee.
His debut campaign as a permanent Sheffield United player saw him help the Blades gain promotion to the Premier League as runners-up, scoring once in 45 outings. His first season in top-flight football saw the Blades finish ninth in the Premier League, with Egan scoring in back-to-back games against Burnley and Wolves in July 2020.
His 36 appearances in the top flight were added further by 31 outings in 2020/21, captaining the Blades. However, Sheffield United were relegated after finishing bottom of the Premier League. During his first two seasons with the Blades, Egan won back-to-back Sheffield United Community Player of the Year awards.
Helping Sheffield United reach the Championship play-offs in their first campaign back in the second tier, losing in the semi-finals, Egan featured 51 times in all competitions as the Blades returned to the Premier League after finishing runners-up in the 2022/23 campaign and captained the team to an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium. After a foot injury restricted Egan to playing just seven games in the 2023/24 season, the Cork-born defender was released by the Blades, taking his total number of appearances for the club to 224.
In September 2024, Egan penned a one-year deal with Burnley. Making his debut nine days later as a late substitute against Sheffield Wednesday, the 32-year-old has played eight games so far this season, starting three of them: two in the Sky Bet Championship and one in the FA Cup.
Internationally, Egan has represented Republic of Ireland at six different levels. Featuring for the Under-16s, Under-17s and Under-18s, Egan played at the 2011 European Under-19s Championship in Romania, helping Ireland reach the semi-finals of the competition before being beaten by eventual tournament winners Spain.
Earning six caps for Ireland’s Under-21 side, the defender earned his first senior cap for his country under his former Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill. As a 24-year-old, the defender made his debut in March 2017 in a friendly match against Iceland.
Captaining his country for the first time in only his fifth cap in a 3-1 friendly win over Bulgaria in September 2019, Egan scored his first international goal in a 2-1 World Cup qualification defeat against Portugal two years later. Also scoring in Nations League games against Scotland and Armenia, Egan has a total of 36 senior caps for his country, scoring three goals.
