Manchester United issued an official announcement on Wednesday that goalkeeper Paul Woolston has decided to end his short professional career due to injuries.
After two surgeries and a long recovery period, Urston was no longer confident in his football prospects and had to make this decision out of responsibility for his health.
For Manchester United fans, the 23-year-old Ulston is clearly not a familiar name.
Born on 14 August 1998 in North Shields, Ulston entered Sunderland's youth training at the age of 10 before moving to Newcastle in 2015. In November 2018, United signed free agent Ulston, who has been playing for The Manchester United reserve team ever since, making 14 appearances for the Red Devils U21 and U23.
Ulston trained with the Red Devils' first team and played with first-team goalkeepers such as De Gea, Romero, Dean Henderson and Grant.
Ulston has been selected for england under-17 and has played in the Under-17 European Championship and U17 World Cup.
Speaking about the decision to retire, Ulston said: "The decision to have to retire at the age of 23 was painful and I am in a slightly better mood now. I'm proud of what I've achieved and it's been an absolute honour to play as a Manchester United player in this experience. ”
Regarding Xiao Wu's retirement, the big brother of the first team, De Gea, said: "It is certainly sad to retire at such a young age, I talked to him the other day and I told him that the most important thing is life, not football. ”
"I trained with him and I remember his left foot technique was great. He's a great lad and I wish him all the best. Life doesn't go as it pleases, and something always happens. You have to keep looking forward, keep fighting, that's what life is all about. ”
United have also provided planning guidance for Ulston's post-retirement development, where he will attend various educational courses and the club will continue to help Ulston obtain a coaching certificate. I hope he has all the best in the next phase of his brand new life.