Forgotten Man Utd starlet who made Premier League debut with Marcus Rashford retires at 28

A forgotten Manchester United youngster who made his debut alongside Marcus Rashford has retired from football.

Rashford lived every young United fan's dream when he scored a brace on his debut for the club in a crunch European match at Old Trafford.

A then 18-year-old Rashford scored twice to help United overturn a 2-1 first leg defeat to Danish side Midtjylland in the Europa League round of 32 in February 2016.

Three days later United boss Louis van Gaal gave the striker his Premier League debut, and once again he did not disappoint his manager.

Rashford was again at the double as an injury-hit United beat Arsenal 3-2 at Old Trafford.

With the game winding down, Van Gaal turned to another United academy graduate on the bench as James Weir replaced Ander Herrera in the 95th minute.

The then 20-year-old midfielder never made another appearance for United, and eight years down the line he has retired from football at the age of 28.

In a message posted on his Instagram page, Weir said: "Life update. After a lot of thought and consideration, I’ve decided to hang up my boots professionally. A bittersweet moment, but I can look back on my career with happy memories.

"Despite my injuries, I’ve met some incredible people, forged life-long relationships and travelled the world doing what I love.

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"Huge thank you to family, friends, coaches, teammates and fans who’ve all helped me on my journey. Through the highs, lows and everything in between, I’ve lived my dream.

"I’m excited in the pursuit of living my next dream away from the beautiful game."

It's fair to say Weird enjoyed a very different career to his fellow Premier League debutant Rashford.

He joined Hull City on a permanent deal a few months after making his United bow but played just a handful of games. He then went on a short loan spell to Wigan Athletic before joining Bolton Wanderers in 2019.

After that he took a scenic route through central Europe, spending two years with Slovakian side Pohronie, before joining MTK Budapest in Hungary and then returning to Slovakia with FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce.