Atlanta United announced today it has loaned defender Jon Gallagher to Aberdeen FC of the Scottish Premiership for the remainder of the 2019 MLS season, pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Aberdeen is currently preparing for its upcoming 2019-20 season, which notably starts on July 11 in UEFA Europa League qualifying against Finnish-based club RoPS Rovaniemi.

“This is a good opportunity for Jon to take the next step in his development,” Atlanta United Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. “Aberdeen has a strong track record of developing on-loan players and Jon will have the chance to compete for playing time against strong competition that includes Europa League qualifiers.”

Gallagher, 23, was selected by Atlanta with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. He has yet to make his MLS debut, but has featured on several match day rosters. At the USL level, he’s combined to appear in 37 career matches with 34 starts and seven goals in two seasons. He finished the 2018 season leading ATL UTD 2 with six goals. In college, Gallagher was a three-year starter at Notre Dame where he made 84 appearances and 63 starts over four years. As a forward, he scored 39 goals and added 15 assists and was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer in each of his four seasons at Notre Dame. A Dundalk, Ireland native, Gallagher represented England Schoolboys at the U-18 level.

Atlanta United (8-5-2, 26 points) returns to league action Wednesday, June 26 against Toronto FC at BMO Field (8:00 p.m. EST, FOX Sports South, Sports Radio 92-9 The Game).