Darragh Patrick Lenihan (born 16 March 1994) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.

[18] Shortly after being recalled, Lenihan had to wait until on 25 April 2015 to make his debut for Blackburn Rovers against Millwall coming off the bench in the first half to replace Matthew Kilgallon, winning 2–0.

[19] After making his debut, he said in his post-match interview that it was a great experience playing at Ewood Park and that hard work and patience had helped to earn him a first team place.

[22] Ahead of the 2015–16 season, manager Gary Bowyer said he planned on putting Lenihan in the first team, describing him as a "valuable member of the squad”.

[32] In a match against Brentford on 19 March 2016, his performance was praised, once again, by Lancashire Evening Telegraph, due to "covering every blade of grass and made more tackles and interceptions than any other player.

[37] In a match against Birmingham City on 1 October 2016, he made a poor pass to the wing which led to the opposition team to score the only goal of the game.

[38] Due to the injury of Wes Brown and Gordon Greer, Lenihan began starting playing in the centre–back position and formed a partnership with Charlie Mulgrew and Tommie Hoban.

[39] His no-nonsense approach to defending in the centre–back position proved to effective, as his partnership with Mulgrew against Brentford and Newcastle United was praised by manager Owen Coyle.

[42] To make matters worse when on 20 December 2016, he received a straight red card for a foul on Sam Morsy, as Blackburn Rovers loss 2–0 against Barnsley.

[46] Under the new management of Tony Mowbray, he resumed the partnership of Lenihan and Mulgrew in the centre–back position, as Blackburn Rovers’ results improved through March.

[47] However in a match against Reading on 4 April 2017, Lenihan suffered a groin injury and was substituted at half time, as the club loss 3–1.

[50] Despite an improvement in form that offered some hope of survival, Lenihan started the match, in a 3–1 win against Brentford, but other results went against them and they were relegated to League One.

[51] Despite Blackburn Rovers’ relegation, he and Mulgrew were praised by manager Mowbray for their performance, describing the pair as “giving the club confidence that they have a solid base to build from“.

[56] Since returning to training in December, Lenihan spent two months, making progress on recovering from his injury in order to maintain his fitness.

[60] However, his return was short–lived when Lenihan suffered a back injury and was substituted in the 30th minute, as the club won 2–0 against Bradford City on 29 March 2018.

[62] Lenihan started the match against Doncaster Rovers on 24 April 2018 and kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 away win, which saw the club secure an immediate return to the Championship.

[67] In the opening game of the season, Lenihan started the match and helped Blackburn Rovers drew 2–2 against Ipswich Town.

[82] After the absence of Mulgrew and Elliott Bennett, he captained the club for the first time in his career and helped Blackburn Rovers kept a clean sheet under his leadership throughout the match, in a 2–0 win against Bolton Wanderers on 22 April 2019.

[86] Local newspaper Lancashire Telegraph praised Lenihan, describing him as the "importance to Blackburn Rovers" and showing his maturity that has the potential to be the future captain.

[90] After his return from injury, he regained his first team place in a centre–back position, forming a partnership with Williams for the next two months following the departure of Mulgrew.

[91] Lenihan made his 150th appearance in his professional football career against Millwall on 14 September 2019 and set up the second goal of the game, in a 2–0 win.

[102] With the competition later resuming behind closed doors, he started in the match against Bristol City on 20 June 2020 and set up the third goal of the game, in a 3–1 win.

[111] Following the injury of Williams, Lenihan spent the remainder of the first half of the season, forming a centre–back partnership with Daniel Ayala, Scott Wharton and Bradley Johnson.

[109][112] In a match against Luton Town on 30 January 2021, he helped Blackburn Rovers kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win and was named Team of the Week by the English Football League.

[122] During a 2–2 draw against Luton Town on 11 September 2021, he made a heavy challenge tackle on Allan Campbell that saw him substituted and was given a yellow card as a result.

[132] During the club’s progress of keeping a clean sheet, he was named the Team of the Week by the English Football League three times out of the five matches.

[148] In a follow–up match against Queens Park Rangers, Lenihan received a red card at the last minute of the game for a foul on Macauley Bonne, as the club loss 3–2.

[149] After serving a one–match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up against Sheffield United on 14 August 2022 and set up an equalising goal for Chuba Akpom, in a 2–2 draw.

[157] Following his return from injury, he regained his first team place for the rest of the season, continuing to form a centre–back partnership with McNair and Fry.

[179] Lenihan made his competitive debut for Ireland nearly four years after his last cap, starting in a 1–1 UEFA Nations League draw against Ukraine.