Just a couple of weeks after being released by Premiership club Middlesbrough, 20-year-old winger Ronnie O'Brien's career took a turn for the better yesterday when it was confirmed that he is to join Italian giants Juventus on a five-year contract.

O'Brien, a member of the Irish Youths European Championship winning side in Cyprus last summer, was finding it difficult to hold down even a place in the reserves at the Riverside stadium and was eventually let go by the club after becoming frustrated by the lack of opportunities open to him.

But after Paul Merson recommended the Irishman to his agent, Steve Kutner, the player's career has been turned completely around. He is expected to join with his new team-mates in Turin for pre-season training in July.

O'Brien says he was determined to leave Middlesbrough this summer anyway when his contract was up, but he admits to being surprised by the turn of events over the past couple of weeks. Juventus, Kutner explained, were impressed when they saw O'Brien play for both his former club's reserves and for the Irish under-19 side, and the agent described the terms that the player has been offered by the Italians as "very good".

As he prepares for the move, O'Brien is back at home with his family. He is currently training with Bray Wanderers and taking Italian lessons.

Bryan Robson, meanwhile, wished the player well with the move but insisted that he had not made a mistake by ignoring O'Brien when he was at the club. "Ronnie O'Brien is not good enough," he said yesterday. "People jump to the ceiling because he has gone to Juventus, but he hasn't done anything yet."