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James Weir (footballer)

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James Weir
Personal information
Full name James Michael Weir[1]
Date of birth (1995-08-04) 4 August 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Preston, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2005–2008 Preston North End
2008–2014 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Manchester United 1 (0)
2016–2019 Hull City 3 (0)
2017 → Wigan Athletic (loan) 4 (0)
2019–2020 Bolton Wanderers 8 (0)
2020–2021 Pohronie 36 (7)
2021–2022 MTK Budapest 14 (0)
2023–2024 ViOn Zlaté Moravce 12 (0)
Total 78 (7)
International career
England U16
2012 England U18 2 (0)
2012 England U19 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:34, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

James Michael Weir (born 4 August 1995) is an English former professional footballer.

Born in Preston, Lancashire, he began his career as a youth player with Preston North End and then joined the Manchester United academy. He only made one appearance for Manchester United before leaving for Hull City in 2016, but also failed to break into the first team there, and spent the second half of the 2016–17 season on loan to Wigan Athletic. After returning, his appearances for Hull were sporadic, and he left for Bolton Wanderers in 2019. After less than six months with Bolton, he was released and soon after signed for Slovak club FK Pohronie. He played there for 18 months before moving to Hungary to play for MTK Budapest, before being released a year later.

Club career

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Manchester United

[edit]

Born in Preston, Lancashire, Weir began his career with local club Preston North End before joining the Manchester United academy in 2008.[3][4][5] While progressing at the club's academy, he represented England at U16 and U18 level.[5] At one point, Weir was captain of Manchester United's Academy and later the under-21 side.[5][6]

Weir made his UEFA Youth League debut for Manchester United U19 against Bayer Leverkusen, where he started and played for 69 minutes, as they won 4–3.[7] During the tournament, Weir played two matches in the right–back position for the side.[8] However, in the club's second meeting of the tournament against Bayer Leverkusen, on 27 November 2013, he was sent–off in stoppage time for a second bookable offence, as they lost 3–1.[9]

In the 2015–16 season, Weir spent months training with the first team players.[10] He was later called to the first team by Manager Louis van Gaal and appeared as an unused substitute against Newcastle United on 12 January 2016.[4][11] Weir made his professional debut on 28 February 2016 in a 3–2 Premier League win at home to Arsenal, coming on as an injury-time substitute for Ander Herrera.[12] After making his debut, he spoke out about his development in the academy.[13] Weir later appeared seven times as an unused substitute later in the 2015–16 season, as it turned out to be his only appearance.[14] At the end of the 2015–16 season, Weir was offered a new contract by the club.[15]

Hull City

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Instead, on 31 August 2016, Weir signed a three-year contract with Premier League club Hull City.[16] He made his debut on 21 September 2016 in the third round of the League Cup in a 2–1 away win against Stoke City.[17] However, Weir found his first team opportunities limited, as he made two more appearances for the side in the 2016–17 season.[18]

Loan to Wigan Athletic

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On 31 January 2017, Weir joined Wigan Athletic on loan until the end of the 2016–17 season.[19] Three days later, he made his debut for the club coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute against Sheffield Wednesday.[20] In a follow–up match, Weir made his first starts for Wigan Athletic, where he played 45 minutes before being substituted at half time, in a 2–2 draw against Norwich City.[21] However, Weir was featured less in the first team as the season progressed and went on to make four sporadic appearances for the side.[22]

Return to Hull

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He made his league debut for Hull City on the opening day of the 2017–18 season, 5 August 2017, away at Aston Villa, in a 1–1 draw.[23] Weir later described the previous twelve months as "weird", as he played for three clubs.[24] He later appeared in three more matches for the side.[25] However, while playing for the club's reserves, Weir suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the 2017–18 season.[26] By the time he suffered a knee injury, Weir made four appearances in the 2017–18 season.

The 2018–19 season saw Weir continuing to recover from his knee injury, but was further sidelined with the same injury he sustained last season.[27] He was released by Hull City at the end of the 2018–19 season.[28]

Bolton Wanderers

[edit]

On 3 August 2019, Weir signed a one-year contract for a newly relegated EFL League One side Bolton Wanderers[29] and made his debut the same day, in a 2–0 defeat against Wycombe Wanderers.[30]

Following this, he began to receive a handful of first-team appearances for the side, playing in midfield.[31] On 29 October 2019, Weir was subbed off in the first half in an EFL Trophy match against Manchester City U21.[32] Manager Keith Hill criticised Weir for playing badly.[33] His last appearance came on 1 January 2020 against Burton Albion and set up the club's third goal of the game, in a 4–3 loss.[34] With his first team opportunities limited under the management of Hill and the winter arrivals, it was announced on 31 January 2020 that Weir's contract was terminated by mutual consent.[35]

Pohronie

[edit]

On 7 March 2020, Weir signed for Fortuna Liga team Pohronie. It was Weir's first career stop outside England.[36] His debut was delayed due to league postponement caused by the coronavirus pandemic.[37] Weir first appeared in a match for Pohronie on 30 May 2020, during an empty-stadium friendly game ahead of Fortuna Liga restart on 13 June. He scored a first-half goal, setting the score to 2–0. Pohronie won the match 3–1, with the other goals scored by Kojo Matić and Patrik Abrahám, while Ladislav Almási scored Ružomberok's only goal.[38] He did not appear in the away tie, against the same opponent, earlier in the week.[39]

Weir made his Fortuna Liga debut on 13 June at pod Dubňom, in the starting line-up against AS Trenčín. Pohronie lost 4–0 in this league restart and the first match of the shortened Relegation Group. Weir was replaced by Cedric Badolo early in the second-half, after just 54 minutes.[40] While Weir played the first game as an attacking midfielder, for the remainder of the campaign he was assigned more defensive roles and contributed to an undefeated run lasting 4 game – equaling the club's top division record from earlier in the season.

He scored his first goal in the subsequent away game against iClinic Sereď on 21 June. Pohronie took an early lead thanks to Weir's header, following a cross from Ján Hatok, and were two up 15 minutes in, after another goal by Pavlík. Despite the promising lead Sereď came back and equalised the score in the second half with two goals by Filip Pankarićan and Martin Mečiar.[41] The following week, Weir also recorded an assist in an important 1–0 home win over ViOn Zlaté Moravce, with Patrik Abrahám scoring with a header, following Weir's free kick.[42]

Overall, Weir recorded five appearances for Pohronie in the 2019–20 season, scoring a single goal.

On 25 June 2020 Weir had extended his contract with Pohronie by a year, signing for the upcoming 2020–21 season. In his second season with the club, he scored six league goals to make him the side's joint top scorer, along with Adler Da Silva, and contributed to the club staying in the top flight.

MTK Budapest

[edit]

On 25 May 2021, Weir joined Hungarian top-flight side MTK Budapest.[43]

ViOn Zlaté Moravce

[edit]

In July 2023, after a year out with injury, Weir returned to Slovakia to join ViOn Zlaté Moravce on a one-year deal,[44] however he was released with half-dozen other players in the winter, as ViOn was placed last in the table.[45]

Retirement

[edit]

On 6 February 2024, Weir announced his retirement from the game on his Instagram page.[46] He then became a travel agent.[47]

Career statistics

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester United 2015–16[48] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
Hull City 2016–17[49] Premier League 0 0 0 0 3 0 — — 3 0
2017–18[50] Championship 3 0 0 0 1 0 — — 4 0
2018–19[51] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Total 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Wigan Athletic (loan) 2016–17[49] Championship 4 0 0 0 0 0 — — 4 0
Bolton Wanderers 2019–20[52] League One 8 0 0 0 1 0 — 3[a] 0 12 0
Pohronie 2019–20[53] Fortuna Liga 5 1 0 0 — — — 5 1
2020–21[53][54] Fortuna Liga 31 6 3 1 — — — 34 7
Total 36 7 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 39 8
MTK Budapest 2021–22[53][55][56] Nemzeti Bajnokság I 14 0 2 0 — — — 16 0
ViOn Zlaté Moravce 2023–24[53][57] Fortuna Liga 12 0 4 2 — — — 16 2
Career total 78 7 9 3 5 0 0 0 3 0 95 10
Notes
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Clubs announce 2015/16 Barclays Premier League squads". premierleague.com. Premier League. 3 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  2. ^ Anderson, John (2016). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2016–2017. London: Headline. p. 475. ISBN 978-1-4722-3394-3.
  3. ^ "What happened to the starlet Manchester United pinched from Preston in 2008?". Deepdate Digest. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Who is James Weir? Manchester United youngster named on the bench at Newcastle United". Manchester Evening News. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "1022 James Weir". On Cloud Seven. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Manchester United U21 captain James Weir opens up on influential form". Manchester Evening News. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Manchester United 4–3 Bayer Leverkusen". UEFA Official Website. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Shakhtar Donetsk 2–1 Manchester United". UEFA Official Website. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "United youngsters suffer Sociedad defeat". Manchester Evening News. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Nine-men Reds youngsters go down but Scholes still has faith". Manchester Evening News. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Manchester United: Four absent from training as Reds gear up for Wolfsburg clash". Manchester Evening News. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Manchester United manager Van Gaal is restoring faith in club's academy". Manchester Evening News. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Four Manchester United youngsters train with first team ahead of PSV Eindhoven clash". Manchester Evening News. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Manchester United team news: Morgan Schneiderlin, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard as Van Gaal makes three changes". Manchester Evening News. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  12. ^ Jurejko, Jonathan (28 February 2016). "Manchester United 3–2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Manchester United Under 21 captain James Weir says it's a great time to be in the academy". Manchester Evening News. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  14. ^ "What happened to Louis van Gaal's 14 Manchester United academy debutants". Manchester Evening News. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Manchester United contracts for 10 young players including Ashley Fletcher, James Weir and Joe Riley". Manchester Evening News. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Hull City sign James Weir from Manchester United". ESPN FC. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  17. ^ "Stoke City 1–2 Hull City". BBC Sport. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Hull City 1–1 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Manchester United 2–0 Hull City". BBC Sport. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Three Hull City players who will be hoping for a fresh start under Leonid Slutsky". Hull Daily Mail. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  19. ^ "James Weir & Alex Bruce Join Wigan Athletic On Loan". Hull City A.F.C. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
    "James Weir Signs for Wigan Athletic". Wigan Athletic F.C. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Wigan Athletic 0–1 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  21. ^ "Wigan Athletic 2–2 Norwich City: Omar Bogle nets double on first start for Latics". Sky Sports. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Joyce: Jacobs can be spark to hunt down Wolves". Wigan Today. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Comment: Why Joyce had to go". Wigan Today. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  23. ^ "Aston Villa 1–1 Hull City". BBC Sport. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Weir Keen For a Chance to Impress". Hull City A.F.C. 21 August 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Hull City 4–0 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Doncaster Rovers 2–0 Hull City". BBC Sport. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Hull City 6–1 Birmingham City". BBC Sport. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  26. ^ "Weir Likely to Miss Rest of Season With Knee Injury". Hull City A.F.C. 23 November 2017. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  27. ^ "James Weir ruled out for six more months after suffering injury setback". Hull Daily Mail. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "James Weir makes comeback as Hull City under-23s fall to defeat at Sheffield Wednesday". Hull Daily Mail. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Hull City vs Swansea prediction, team news, key battle and betting". Hull Daily Mail. 22 December 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Fraizer Campbell & David Marshall: Hull City plan to offer duo new deals". BBC Sport. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  29. ^ "Bolton Wanderers: James Weir & Josh Earl sign, Harry Brockbank agrees new deal". BBC Sport. 3 August 2019.
  30. ^ "Wycombe Wanderers 2–0 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport. 3 August 2019.
  31. ^ "Bolton could face Tranmere with just TWO senior players". The Bolton News. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Tranmere Rovers 5 Bolton Wanderers 0: Player ratings". The Bolton News. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "Comment: Why future-thinking Sam's comments are out of date". The Bolton News. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Report: Bolton Wanderers 3–1 Manchester City U21s". Bolton Wanderers F.C. 29 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  33. ^ "Wanderers playmaker Crawford suffers 'potentially serious' knee injury". The Bolton News. 29 October 2019.
  34. ^ "Bolton Wanderers 3–4 Burton Albion". BBC Sport. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  35. ^ "Weir Departs Wanderers". Bolton Wanderers F.C. 31 January 2020. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020.
    "Bolton Wanderers boss Keith Hill explains Politic and Weir absence". The Bolton News. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
    "What happened to Bolton's youngest-ever team against Coventry?". The Bolton News. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  36. ^ "Nová posila z Anglicka" (in Slovak). FK Pohronie. 7 March 2020. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  37. ^ "Únia ligových klubov dočasne rozhodla o osude Fortuna Ligy". Šport.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  38. ^ "Žilina zdolala Podbrezovú, Pohronie si poradilo s Ružomberkom". futbal.spravy.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  39. ^ "Ruža nás nezdolala". fkpohronie.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  40. ^ "AS Trenčín – FK Pohronie Žiar nad Hronom Dolná Ždaňa | 4 – 0". ulk.futbalnet.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 29 July 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  41. ^ "ŠKF Sereď – FK Pohronie". sport.aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  42. ^ "FK Pohronie – FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce". Šport.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  43. ^ "Gólerős Védekező Középpályás Az Első Igazolásunk!" (in Hungarian). MTK Budapest FC. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  44. ^ "Byvaly hrac United podpisal zmluvu s ViOnom" (in Slovak). FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Cieľ je záchrana. V Zlatých Moravciach nastal značný pohyb v kádri". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  46. ^ "Ex-Bolton and Man Utd midfielder James Weir retires aged 28". Bolton News. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  47. ^ James Weir: 'My Manchester United debut was an out-of-body experience. I wouldn't change that for anything'
  48. ^ "Games played by James Weir in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  49. ^ a b "Games played by James Weir in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  50. ^ "Games played by James Weir in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  51. ^ "Games played by James Weir in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  52. ^ "Games played by James Weir in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  53. ^ a b c d "England – J. Weir". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  54. ^ Soccerway did not record appearances made by Weir against OFK Dunajská Lužná on 8 September 2020 and FK Rača on 16 September, both in the Slovak Cup.
  55. ^ Soccerway did not record appearances made by Weir against Sényő on 18 September 2021 and Kisvárda on 27 October, both in the Magyar Kupa.
  56. ^ Adatbank: "Weir James Michael"
  57. ^ Soccerway recorded Weir as having scored against OFK Metacolor Ludanice on 6 September 2023 and OFK Tovarníky on 27 September, both in the Slovak Cup, but don't show the game's line ups. This causes it to show him having played two games with two goals, when it had they shown the line-ups it would display as four games with two goals.
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