Man Utd youngster Grace Clinton joins Bristol City on loan

Manchester United youngster Grace Clinton has joined Women’s Championship side Bristol City on loan for the remainder of the 2022/23 season.

Clinton is yet to make a competitive first-team appearance for United since her summer transfer from Everton, playing only in friendly games against Paris Saint-Germain and Birkirkara.

But the highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder will now hope to secure the kind of regular playing time in Bristol that is crucial to her ongoing development.

“There was a lot of back and forth but it’s great to get the deal over the line and get settled in,” Clinton sad. “The ambition of the club was the main draw for me, to be honest. The facilities at the Robins High Performance Centre are even better in person – I didn’t expect it!”

Bristol currently sit second in the Women’s Championship, only one point behind leaders London City Lionesses with a game in hand, and are gunning for a return to the WSL.

United boss Marc Skinner said, “This loan deal is an excellent opportunity for Grace to play regular minutes in a very competitive league, as part of her long-term development here at Manchester United.

“Grace has used the first six months to learn our principles and expectations and now she will aim to put them into action regularly. We will be keeping a very close eye on Grace and look forward to welcoming her invention and creation back into the group at the end of the season.”

Skinner has previously likened Clinton’s ability to that of United teammate and England star Ella Toone, while he described her as recently as December as ‘the future of what we’re trying to do.”

Clinton has a contract with United until 2025, the same length deal as Maya Le Tissier. Only the aforementioned Toone has a longer current contract.

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