Former Newcastle United academy keeper Paul Woolston forced to retire at 23

The North Shields-born keeper spent four years within the Magpies academy setup before joining Manchester United following his release.

Former Newcastle United academy goalkeeper Paul Woolston has been forced to retire at the age of 23 after a long battle with injury.

The former England youth international stopper joined the Magpies from local rivals Sunderland and made his Under-21s debut at the age of just 15 in March 2014.

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Featuring alongside the likes of Gael Bigirimana, Callum Roberts and Jamie Sterry, the young stopper kept a clean sheet as the young Magpies earned a 1-0 home win against their Manchester United counterparts.

Woolston’s development was aided by loan spells with non-league quartet Gateshead, South Shields, Darlington and Blyth Spartans and he won the Northumberland Senior Cup and Northern Premier League title during a successful stint with the latter.

He was released by Newcastle at the end of the 2017/18 and was snapped up by Manchester United following trial spells with a number of clubs.

Woolston penned a one-year extension to his contract at Old Trafford last summer after undergoing two operations on a hip injury.

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After a painstaking rehabilitation process, Woolston has now brought down the curtain on his fledgling career and is already looking forward to the next step.

He told the Red Devils website: “To have to retire at just 23 has been really tough to come to terms with but I feel a lot more positive now.

“I am really proud of everything that I have achieved, many people dream of playing football at this level. Of course, I would have loved to have gone on further but it has been an absolute honour to represent Manchester United during my time here.

“The support of my family, friends, team-mates, coaches, the medical staff and entire Manchester United Academy has been phenomenal. Everyone has played a major part in my journey by keeping my spirits up, allowing me to reflect positively on my playing experiences and begin to look to the future.

“Right now, I am fully focused on the next stage of my career. I am ready to use all of my learnings, resilience, drive and determination to make a real success of my life.”

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