MX23RW : Saturday, February 1 13:49:44| >> :60:710:710:

Ethan Laird, Ethan Galbraith leave Manchester United on permanent deals

Ethan Laird, Ethan Galbraith leave Man United on permanent deals
© Reuters
Manchester United academy products Ethan Laird and Ethan Galbraith leave the club permanently for Birmingham City and Leyton Orient respectively.

Manchester United have confirmed that Ethan Laird and Ethan Galbraith have left the club to join Birmingham City and Leyton Orient respectively on permanent deals.

Twenty-one-year-old Laird came through the Red Devils' youth setup but only ever managed two appearances for the first team after graduating from their academy.

Both of Laird's senior games came in the 2019-20 Europa League, where he played the full 90 minutes on his debut in a 2-1 group-stage defeat to FC Astana.

The right-back was subsequently given his first taste of Old Trafford football in their following continental game - a 4-0 win over AZ Alkmaar - but he failed to make another matchday squad for Man United.

Loan spells at MK Dons, Swansea City, Bournemouth and Queens Park Rangers followed for Laird, who featured regularly for the latter last term with one goal and two assists in 32 Championship appearances.

Manchester United youngster Ethan Laird during training on November 27, 2019© Reuters

Having proven himself at Championship level, the former England Under-19 international has now completed a permanent move away from Manchester to join up with Birmingham.

"All at United would like to pass on our sincere best wishes to Ethan and we'll be tracking his progress at his new club after successfully coming through our Academy and always being a popular figure at Carrington," Man United said in a statement.

Meanwhile, midfielder Galbraith is officially out of contract at the end of June and will be dropping down to League One to turn out for Leyton Orient on a two-year deal.

The Northern Ireland international left Linfield in 2017 to join Man United's academy ranks and also made his solitary first-team appearance against Astana in the 2019-20 Europa League.

Galbraith came off the bench for the final two minutes of that encounter, and he has since gleaned senior experience with Doncaster Rovers and Salford City in League One and Two respectively.

General view inside Manchester United's stadium Old Trafford before the match on January 10, 2023© Reuters

Galbraith was a key player for Salford last season with four goals and three assists in 32 matches, helping his side reach the playoffs, where they lost to Stockport County on penalties in the semi-finals.

"We would like to wish Ethan the very best of luck at his new club and thank him for his service with the Reds, as he is another player the Academy can be extremely proud of," Man United said of Galbraith, who hailed the influence of head coach Richie Wellens in his decision.

"From playing against Leyton Orient last season, I got a good feel for the side here, and the style of football," Galbraith told the official Leyton Orient website.

"Richie was a big factor, I know how he likes to play, and how he wants to get the best out of his players, so it was a great fit."

Galbraith and Laird become the latest Man United youngsters to head for the exit door after Di'Shon Bernard and Zidane Iqbal, the latter of whom has signed for FC Utrecht on a permanent deal.

ID:517436:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5018:
Written by
Ben Knapton

Click here for more stories about Ethan Laird

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
General view inside Old Trafford before the match on January 10, 2022
Read Next:
Manchester United: Transfer ins and outs - Summer 2023
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!