Finlay Gorman is set to join Manchester City after breaking into the Leeds United U18 set-up at the age of 15 – and here are five other Leeds youngsters who left at the same age.
Gorman broke into the Leeds U18 team before turning 15 in September of this year. The youngster has appeared five times in the U18 Premier League, scoring twice and assisting once.
Unsurprisingly, that form has gotten a lot of attention. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Manchester City has begun talks with Gorman but will face competition from Newcastle. Phil Hay has provided an update.
He told The Athletic that Gorman is on his way to Manchester City, with a British record fee of seven figures on the table for a player of his age. Here are five other people who left Leeds at a young age.
Finlay Gorman has agreed to join Manchester City, and five other Leeds players have left the club.
Danny Rose to Tottenham (age 17 in 2007)
Rose left Leeds without playing for the club, but went on to have a spectacular career with Tottenham and England, costing £1 million. However, he has been without a club since 2022, when he was 33 years old.
Michael Woods to Chelsea (2006, at the age of 16)
Woods and Tom Taiwo moved to Chelsea at the age of 16, with the court ordering a £5 million fee. He made two appearances for Chelsea after spending the majority of his career with Hartlepool. At 33, he is now in Non-League football with South Shields.
Tom Taiwo to Chelsea (2006, at the age of 16)
The second half of the infamous £5 million deal that brought Woods and Taiwo to Chelsea. Taiwo never played for Chelsea, but he had a successful career in Scotland before retiring at the age of 29 due to injury.
Everton signed Luke Garbutt in 2009, when he was 16 years old.
In 2009, Everton was ordered to pay £1 million for Garbutt. He only played 12 times for Everton and is now 30 years old and has played 247 senior games. But he is far from the potential that was expected of him as a teen.
Michael Johnson to Feyenoord (age 12 in 2000)
Everyone recalls Johnson, who played for Manchester City in and around 2007. His career fizzled out almost as quickly as it began. He left the Leeds academy at the age of 12 to join Dutch giants Feyenoord.
