Former Newcastle United academy prospect Paul Woolston has confirmed his retirement.
The goalkeeper is only 23-years-old, but has been forced to hang up his gloves due to a hip injury.
Woolston was with Manchester United, who confirmed the news of his retirement on their official club website.
It’s devastating for Woolston, who is still incredibly young. He’s spoken to manunited.com about the news, and remains surprisingly upbeat given the circumstances.
“To have to retire at just 23 has been really tough to come to terms with but I feel a lot more positive now,” he said.
“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.”
Paul Woolston spent four years with Newcastle
Woolston started his career with Sunderland, but would eventually cross the North East divide. The keeper joined Newcastle back in 2014, where he spent four years playing with the Magpies’ youth sides. He also trained with the first-team.
During his time with Newcastle, Woolston had loan spells with Gateshead, Darlington, Blyth Spartans and South Shields.
He was released by the club in 2018, and joined Manchester United after a successful trial with the Red Devils.
The youngster never featured for the Man United first-team, but often played for their Under-23 side. He has also represented England at Under-18 level.
Woolston is now working on his coaching badges, so it’s good to hear he will remain in the game despite being forced to retire early.
To see someone being forced to stop doing what the love so early is heartbreaking. Hopefully Woolston can find success in the coaching world, and this setback can push him towards a different kind of success.
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