Crewe Alexandra have signed the striker Charlie McNeill on a season-long loan from Sheffield Wednesday, their fourth summer signing. The 22-year-old joins the League Two club ahead of Saturday's season opener away at Crawley Town.
McNeill scored 110 goals and added 38 assists in 72 matches for Manchester City's youth teams before moving to Manchester United, where he became only the second player in the club's history to score 20 goals in a season at academy level. His sole senior appearance for United came as a substitute in a Europa League tie against Real Sociedad in September 2022.
He has spent the past two seasons at Sheffield Wednesday, scoring six goals in 48 appearances. The Owls were relegated from the Championship in February, becoming the first club in English Football League history to go down that early in a season, a campaign compounded by boardroom turmoil under owner Dejphon Chansiri that saw them docked 12 points for entering administration and a further six for breaching EFL payment regulations. They now play in League One.
McNeill joins striker Jordan Gibson, centre-back Luke Offord and midfielder Joe White at the Mornflake Stadium. Lee Bell's side begin their League Two campaign at Crawley Town on Saturday at 15:00 BST.