Billy Hartley, a young goalkeeper, joins Manchester United
After spending four years in the club’s academy, Fleetwood Town can report that teenage goalkeeper Billy Hartley has joined Premier League powerhouse Manchester United.
Hartley, who initially moved to Fleetwood when he was eight years old, joined the Under-9s in 2019 after a successful trial.
During his time with the Under-10s, the 12-year-old showed he had skill between the sticks and was converted to a goalkeeper. Since then, he hasn’t looked back and has been a tremendous asset to the Town Academy.
Fleetwood-born Hartley has attended many games at Highbury with his dad, who has an Onward Card, but as he travels to Carrington with The Red Devils, he will need to concentrate on the next phase of his growth.
Following an agreement with a sizeable training compensation fee, Hartley has now transferred clubs to join Manchester United, adding to the revenue and profit made from a number of Academy graduates.
The academy manager, Jack Higgins, remarked, “We are really happy that Billy has joined Manchester United. He has accomplished an amazing feat by joining one of the largest clubs in the world.
“It demonstrates once more the development of our Academy and the supporting of players travelling to their next destination at an age and stage that is suited for them—each player and their path are unique.
“Mike Hall, our current Transition Lead Phase Coach, has been Billy’s coach when he first joined us in our Pre-Academy more than four years ago.
“Mike deserves a ton of credit for not only helping Billy grow personally but also for helping him transition from being an outfield player to a goalie, which gave him the chance to thrive enough for occasions like today.
“I’m sure we’ll see Billy and his family at Highbury frequently enough in the future, and we’ll continue to support them all as best we can from a distance — well done Billy and good luck from us all,” the group said.
Billy’s contributions over the past four years have been greatly appreciated by Fleetwood Town, and we wish him the best in the future.
