Mason Melia: The Irish sensation making a name for himself - Scout Report

The League of Ireland has been quietly developing some incredibly talented young players for a while now. We are talking about players such as Aidomo Emakhu who came through the Shamrock Rovers academy system before moving to EFL Championship club Millwall in January 2023. Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh and Romeo Akachukwu have moved from Cork City and Waterford to Southampton where they are both impressing in the Under 21s. 

Additionally, Sam Curtis was the subject of a transfer battle between Sheffield United and Hull City who were both vying for the young fullback's signature after he put in some excellent performances for St. Patrick's Athletic. The Irish youth international opted to sign for the Blades and has been sent on a development loan to Peterborough United where the staff are reportedly very pleased with their acquisition. 

The subject of this scout report sees us stay with St Patrick's Athletic to take a closer look at the player who is perhaps their biggest talent. In this piece, we will introduce you to 17-year-old sensation Mason Melia. The young forward burst onto the scene last season and has gone on to establish himself as a first-team regular at Richmond Park. 

Melia has been on the radar of big clubs since he stepped into the first team as a 15-year-old; Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all reportedly been keeping tabs on him over the last couple of years. With his performances going from strength to strength it is surely only a matter of time before one of these clubs comes calling, there is even the possibility that he could be the first million-pound player to depart the LOI.

In this report we will analyse the sought-after forward's style of play, looking at how he performs both in and out of possession and dissecting what he brings to the table for St. Pat's.  

Player Profile

Name: Mason Melia

Age: 17 years

Team: St. Patrick’s Athletic

Nationality: Irish

Position: CF

Secondary Position: CAM/LW/RW

Height: 180cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Physical Profile

Melia’s physical profile is impressive for his age. He stands at 180cm and is able to generate significant power through his legs. This means he accelerates well over short distances, allowing him to make runs in behind and beat his opponent in 1v1 situations. He is very agile meaning he can twist and turn away from opponents in addition to operating very well in tight spaces. 

Melia can battle well in duels but can sometimes lack the strength to outmuscle his opponent. He has won 32.2% of his duels during the 2024 season which is a fair amount and shows how well he is willing to battle for possession. Moreover, the young forward does well to compete in the aerial duels, even if he doesn’t win them, his leap is often high enough to put his opponent under pressure.

Formations and Positions

St. Pat’s have mostly lined up in a 4-2-3-1 system this season and Melia has predominantly found himself in his favoured centre forward position. Here, he is expected to be the outlet in transitions but also look to hold the ball up and bring others into play.

Melia has also been deployed out wide which perhaps gives him the opportunity to cut inside from the left, onto his preferred right foot. This creates space for the fullback to overlap and the 17-year-old thrives when he has space to run into himself.

Data Analysis

If we dive into some of Mason Melia’s stats for the season, we can paint an overall picture of his style of play and how effective he is for St. Pat’s. We can see from the pizza chart that Melia is in the 61st percentile for goals per 90 compared to fellow centre forwards.

Having played over 2000 minutes this season, the 17-year-old has netted five goals so far which is not a bad return when you consider the club are managing his minutes carefully given his young age. 

His five goals have come from an overall xG of 4.44, indicating he is scoring as many goals as expected given the opportunities created. The Irish youth international averages 1.19 shots per 90 with 34.5% finding the target.

Melia has chipped in with a single assist this season, from an xA of 1.22 which, again, is in line with what we would expect. We can see that he ranks well above average for key passes (passes leading to a shot), averaging 0.27 per 90. 

Furthermore, we can see how highly the St. Pat’s forward ranks in terms of his progressive runs (averaging 1.54 per 90) and dribbles (3.78 per 90). This indicates that he likes to run at his opponent when given the opportunity, suggesting he is a very direct and aggressive attacking player. 

Attacking Phase

As the pizza chart demonstrated, Melia is a very direct player who is very effective when he has time and space to run at his opponent. We can see here, the young forward possesses some excellent close control, allowing him to retain possession whilst travelling at speed.

We can also see here that he does like to hit shots early, sometimes from the edge of the area. This means he can often catch the opposition goalkeeper off guard. Goalkeepers often position themselves based on the expectation that the forward will take an additional touch or move closer to goal. An early shot, especially from outside the box, gives the goalkeeper less time to set their stance and react, increasing the chances of a goal.

Additionally, this also means that the defensive line does not have the opportunity to set themselves to block shots. Defenders tend to drop deeper or rush to close down forwards near the penalty box. An early strike can disrupt this timing, as the defenders may not be ready to block or deflect the shot. This can lead to more direct and cleaner efforts on goal.

Melia does not just hit shots from outside the area, he is a very effective box striker, whether that be as the target of crosses into the box or making late runs having played a part in the build up play.

In this example, we can see him receive a cross and bring it under his control very well. He is able to shield the ball from any opponents and turn his body to get himself into an optimal shooting position.

This ability to twist and turn away from defenders in tight spaces is also a very important aspect of his game. It is often these subtle movements under pressure which allow Melia the opportunity to create that extra space to get a shot off or lay the ball back to a teammate.

Here, we can see Melia’s intelligent off-the-ball movement, allowing him to move into a pocket of space on the edge of the area at just the right time. He is constantly mobile and looking for space which makes it very difficult for defenders to fully track his movements.

He controls the ball very well, turns and executes a powerful low shot from the edge of the area. It is worth noting that he can generate significant power in his shots as he is able to retain his balance very well, even when under pressure, therefore he is very grounded on the pitch and able to hit powerful drives at goal.

Furthermore, Melia likes to drop back to receive a pass and spin his opponent as we can see here. Thanks to a very astute first touch and an excellent burst of acceleration. In this example, his speed allows him to generate enough space between him and the tracking defender to take the touch which allows him to turn and then he uses that acceleration to drive into the space ahead.

His constant movement drags opposition defenders out of position as they feel the need to track him due to the danger he poses if he can receive the ball, turn and run at them but his acceleration often allows him to do this even with an opponent in close proximity. This also creates space for midfield runners to run into, meaning St. Pat’s can create attacking overloads and exploit the opposition being caught out of position.

Melia’s intelligent off-the-ball movement also sees him look to make runs in behind the defensive line, giving his teammates the option to play a long pass over the top. We can see here that the St. Pat’s forward times his run well and reads the pass very well, accelerating at just the right time to get in front of the back tracking defender and of course remaining calm when 1v1 with the goalkeeper.

By making these runs in behind, he stretches the defensive line, forcing defenders to drop deeper and stay alert to long balls over the top or through balls in behind them. This movement also creates space between the defence and midfield, offering more room for teammates to operate in. When he times his runs well, he can break offside traps and exploit the gaps if the opponent has a high defensive line or force them to drop deeper creating space, making Mason Melia a constant threat.

The 17-year-old is certainly a forward who offers a lot off the ball, he can come short, run in behind, operate out wide, and play on the edge of the area. This is invaluable because of the flexibility and unpredictability he brings to his team's attack. Having such a multi-faceted forward creates tactical variety, making it harder for the opposition to defend and allowing the St. Pat’s attack to adapt to different scenarios and opponents.

Moreover, Melia is very happy to act as a playmaker for his team. As we know, he likes to drop back and be involved in the build up play. Here, he receives the ball and plays a lofted pass into the path of his teammate making a run into the space.

This ability has seen him come off the bench to play as a number ten on a few occasions this season. He is very comfortable operating in tight spaces and can act as a crucial bridge between the midfield and the attacking unit. He offers a reliable outlet for midfielders under pressure, helping to maintain possession and shift St. Pat’s focus of play from defence to attack.

Plus, he has a good eye for a pass and actively looks to be creative, as we saw with his key pass stats. Additionally, Melia averages 1.43 passes to the final third per 90 and 0.57 passes into the penalty area per 90 further demonstrating his willingness to act as a link up man for his team.

In this instance, we can see how well Melia utilises his physical strength to hold the ball up and shield it from the defenders who are putting him under pressure. He then has the composure to play a short pass back into the feet of his teammate (who is wasteful with the shot).

Melia’s ability to retain the ball under pressure is excellent. He demonstrates a level of composure that makes you forget he is just 17-years-old. His physical profile also means he can hold off opponents with ease and he has the intelligence to ensure his body orientation means the opponent cannot get a foot to the ball.

One area where he could improve is composure when shooting. Melia does typically like to opt for power, occasionally when he would be better with less power and more accuracy but this is really not a major weakness to his game as it is something he can improve in training and with experience.

Defensive Phase

In the defensive phase of play, Melia is very aggressive and proactive. St Pat’s look to press their opponents and force them backwards or into traps and Melia is very much at the forefront of their defensive efforts.

Here, we can see Mason Melia cover the ground very quickly in order to put pressure on the opposition goalkeeper. His athleticism is certainly a key element to his defensive play, rapidly closing down opponents and utilising his body shape to close off passing lanes.

The young forward reads the game well, recognising pressing triggers such as a back pass, as demonstrated here. Melia leads the line and initiates the St. Pat’s press with his teammates following.

In this example, we can see how St. Pat’s look to force the Shamrock defender into playing a lateral pass by moving to close off all forward passing lanes. Melia communicates well with his teammates when leading the press and shows an excellent willingness to work for the team.

Additionally, when tracking runners he does not shirk his responsibilities, he will track back without complaint and really does engage in the defensive side of the game.

When St Pat’s are in their defensive structure, Melia is still very mobile and alert. Here, he reads the opposition very well and quickly moves to close off the passing lane which forces the opponents to rethink their build up play.

The Irish forward is very aware of his positioning in relation to that of his opponents and rarely lets his man get too far away from him.

Transitions

In the attacking transition, Melia looks to make quick runs in behind the out of position defensive line. Over the last season or so, he has really added an explosive burst to his game which means he can now make these runs in transitions, which sees him become a real threat when St. Pat’s recover possession.

We can see here, he springs into action as soon as his teammate recovers possession and he immediately wants to cause chaos for the opponent by running into the space ahead.

Melia is a very exciting player in the attacking transition due to his athleticism and tenacity to constantly chase the ball down, forcing the vulnerable defensive line backwards.

In the defensive transition, Melia is very aggressive, as we would expect given what we already know. He looks to put the opponent under pressure as soon as his team has lost possession.

St Pat’s aim to recover possession if they can but will also settle for putting their opponents under enough pressure to limit their ability to launch a counter, allowing Melia and co. to get back into shape.

We can see in this example, that the Ireland U19 forward is tenacious, determined and a willing runner, chasing down the opponent. Melia averages 2.7 ball recoveries per 90 this season, with 48.5% in the opposition half. He is certainly very effective in the defensive transition, something which his suitors will undoubtedly be very impressed with.

Conclusion

Mason Melia is a generational talent in my opinion. Yes, we’ve seen talents come out of the League of Ireland before, as mentioned in the introduction, but Melia is different, he’s already a class above.

Of course, he is 17 so we have to consider he is still developing and improving, but the calibre of teams linked with him tells us how high his ceiling could be. I think it is without question that if he continues on the current trajectory, Mason Melia can go on to play at a very high level.

If he does join a Premier League side at the end of the current LOI season, he will need time to develop. I would imagine he will be in the youth team and then out on development loans for a couple of seasons.