What happened to the Coventry City Academy star sold to Manchester United at 15

A quick scroll through the latest transfer gossip brought up a name from Coventry’s not-too-distant past, local boy Charlie McCann.

The midfielder started out in the city’s youth ranks before signing for the Sky Blues and then embarking on a dream move to Manchester United, leaving his hometown club at the tender age of 15 for an undisclosed fee. Now 22, McCann has switched international allegiances twice and is now looking for his fifth club, which he is said to be allowed to leave Forest Green Rovers for a nominal fee.

So what happened to one City Academy star tipped for a glittering top-flight career?

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The first years

After impressing at his age groups in Coventry and the Warwickshire Youth League, he turned out for Coventry Sphinx and Brinklow FC, caught the eye of Sky Blues scouts and promptly joined the Academy at the tender age of eight.

The talented young midfielder has continued his remarkable development and progress, leading to an England under-16 call-up and interest from a host of higher-ranked clubs. And it wasn’t long after that the Red Devils came calling.

Having followed United from a young age, the lure of Old Trafford was clearly a major factor – his parents told City they would have turned down any other club.

“When a big football club comes knocking and it’s the club Charlie supports, you have to let him go and have that experience,” then-Academy boss Rich Stevens revealed, speaking to CoventryLive in 2018.

“We didn’t want to sell it, we didn’t need a fee for it, although there was a fee involved. Charlie goes with the full support of me and the rest of the staff at the Academy. He was incredible for us, even making his England debut in August.”

The development of Manchester United

Going straight to United’s Academy, McCann went on to progress through the club’s Under-18 side in the U-18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup sides for two seasons. He made 24 appearances in his first season, scoring five goals and creating two assists.

He and team-mate Mark Helm have formed a good partnership in central midfield and have been tipped to become a starting midfield pairing in the under-23 set-up as he takes the next step towards closing the gap on the first team of the coach at the time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Opportunity knocks at Rangers

After four seasons with Manchester United, he joined Rangers in July 2021, signing a three-year contract at the age of 19. The transfer fee paid by Rangers was set to rise to £750,000.

He said at the time: “I’m delighted to get the move over the line, obviously I was very excited when I heard the news and I knew it was a no-brainer. I can’t wait to start now and I can’t wait. I feel I’ve reached the point where I need the next step and this is the best option for me to do that and hopefully push myself closer to the first team.”

He went on to make eight appearances.

Shifting international allegiances

He also switched his international allegiance after being called up by the Republic of Ireland Under-17s and competing at the UEFA European Under-17 Championships. He played in all of host nation Ireland’s Group A matches, all three of which drew with Greece, the Czech Republic and Belgium, finishing third in their group and failing to qualify for the knockout stages.

In March 2022, however, McCann changed faith again, joining the Northern Ireland outfit and was selected for the Under-21 squad. He went on to be called up to the senior squad for the June 2022 Nations League matches.

Forest Green Rovers

In January 2023, aged 20, he joined then-English club Forest Green on a three-and-a-half-year deal worth £350,000. It was reported at the time that McCann turned down the offer of a new deal with Rangers due to a lack of first-team football at Ibrox.

McCann told Forest Green’s website: “It’s great to have signed. I’m excited to cross the line and can’t wait to get started. I hope to start getting some minutes under my belt very soon.”

Rovers head of performance and recruitment Stevie Grieve added: “We are delighted to welcome Charlie to the club. He is an absolutely outstanding talent that we will work with to develop for the future. He showed maturity and conviction to make the decision to come to Forest Green. We look forward to working with him.”

Going on to make just 50 appearances and scoring four goals for the club, McCann is now reported to be set to leave for a nominal fee following relegation to the National League as FGR look to reduce their wage bill. Crewe and Salford are said to be keen to sign him.

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