OFFICIAL: Josh Harrop Leaves Man United For Preston
Reuters / Andrew Yates
Manchester United academy product Josh Harrop will be moving to Preston North End on a free transfer this summer.
A product of United’s Carrington Training Complex, he has decided to move away from the Mancunian club after rejecting a contract extension.
The striker was among the top prospects from United’s academy, and he only recently broke into the first team against Crystal Palace in May 2017, where he scored a goal in his debut game, which was also the Reds’ last home game of the season.
He also finished as the Reserve team’s top scorer, and scored 4 goals in the last 2 games for the Reserves side of Manchester United. He also bagged a sensational hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspurs Reserves on 15th May, to help his team win 3-2 against the London club.
Louis van Gaal had given him an opportunity to train with the first team back in 2015, but he could not break the barrier into a first team call.
Related News:
https:/2017/06/23/manchester-uniteds-2017-18-home-kit-leaked/
Despite the Old Trafford outfit offering him a new contract, he has now chosen to move to Preston once his contract with Manchester United formally ends on July 3.
His new 4-year contract at the Deepdale would see him play alongside other United academy products, including Marnick Vermijl, Ben Pearson, and Liam Grimshaw.
Best of luck to @JoshHarrop23, who'll join Preston when his #MUFC contract expires at the end of the month: https://t.co/lVYByxggKe pic.twitter.com/1sCRZPeNXk
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 23, 2017
The battle for the Championship with Preston North End might come as a smart decision for the 21-year-old, as Manchester United do not seem keen on encouraging newer talents from their own academy at the moment. Rather, they seem to be looking at set talents who might straight up help them win the PL and/or the UCL next season.
Speaking to Preston North End, the player expressed – “I’m delighted to be here, it’s a new start for me to get things going in my career and I’m buzzing to get playing and to make an impact in the team.
“I’ve got four years now at Preston North End where I know I am going to be and I am going to put everything into that and dedicated myself to do the best for the team and the best for the fans.
“Hopefully I can achieve my aims and ambitions that I have set myself by coming here and that’s to get promoted with Preston North End and help the club get as high as we can.”
He made 25 appearances for United’s Reserve side last season, scoring 10 goals in the process.
Written by Srivats Venkateswaran 
Sports writer with a long experience of writing in football.Was football team head at EssentiallySports. Still deeply misses Sir Alex and Berbatov at United. An introvert at heart with a poetic hand. Engineer by choice, writer by passion.