Chris, an Irish U21 international striker, was released at the end of the 2007/08 season by Manchester United and despite receiving offers from several Football League clubs he opted to join up with the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain having impressed during the Academy's initial trials.

When City beat off the challenge from a number of clubs in Spain and the rest of Europe to secure his services on a two-year deal in the summer of 2009, it saw him become the first player from the Glenn Hoddle Academy, which was set up in 2008 by the former England international to give young players who just failed to make the grade at top professional clubs a second chance, to sign a permanent contract with a Football League club.

Chris joined Manchester United's academy as a 16-year-old from Home Farm and was a member of the side which finished runners-up to Liverpool in the 2006/07 FA Youth Cup. Having represented his country at U17 and U19 level, he was called up to the U21 squad for the first time in February when he was an unused substitute in a friendly against Germany and won his first cap a month later against Spain. A second cap followed in Ireland's UEFA 2011 qualifying match against Turkey.

A trial spell with Huddersfield Town towards the end of the 2008/09 season saw him bag a hat-trick on his debut for the Terriers' second string whilst he finished the campaign in the Scottish Premier League at Hamilton Academical, although his appearances with the Accies were limited to reserve team football.

On February 1st 2010 Chris returned to Spain to link up with Jerez Industrial CF on loan until the end of the season.