The 18-year-old was one of three deadline day recruits having joined from Irish champions Peamount United.
An attacking left-back, O’Hanlon impressed enough with Peamount to earn her first international call-up last April.
And she says playing alongside her compatriots who already star in the Barclays Women’s Super League and beyond has given her a taste of what to expect at City.
“I hadn’t been anywhere near that squad, and I hadn’t met any of the players so to come into camp and see the likes of Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan was a surreal moment. I enjoyed every moment of it,” she says of her first senior experience.
“The biggest difference between the great players and the amateur players is the speed and the intensity of the game.
“They brought that intensity to every training session and into everything they have done. They made it look effortless.”
The move is O’Hanlon’s first professional contract and sees her leave her hometown of Dublin for the first time.
However, she says the opportunity to take the next step in her career was too good to miss out on.
“I’m leaving home and everything I’ve known for the last 18 years behind but like I’ve said to family and friends, it’s not that far,” said O’Hanlon.
“This is what I want to do. I want to be a professional footballer and I want to play for City so it’s a sacrifice well worth it.”
See Tara’s first interview in full via the video above…
