Among the many Manchester United loans this season, nobody has a more interesting backstory than Ethan Ennis, and he has now opened up on it.
Ethan Ennis finds himself on loan at Fleetwood Town this season after he impressed in Doncaster’s promotion push last year.
Ennis has been a highly-rated prospect in Man Utd’s academy ever since he made the high-profile move from Liverpool in 2021.
After some injury-ridden time at the academy, he has started to make a place for himself in men’s football, and he has now opened up on that move that sent shockwaves through the youth circuit.
Ethan Ennis in Manchester United Training Session
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Ethan Ennis on his Liverpool to Man Utd transfer
There are some lines in football that are sacred and just not crossed by the players, and even entertaining such a thought is enough to cause tensions.
Transfers between Liverpool and Man Utd are one such line, as someone like Gabriel Heinze will tell you what happened to him when he mooted a move to Anfield.
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Ruben Amorim in Manchester United attire during loss to Everton.
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In the history of senior football, only Phil Chisnall in 1964 is the player to have transferred directly between the clubs (Utd to Liverpool).
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Therefore, when Ethan Ennis made the youth football move from Liverpool in 2021, it sent tremors across the English youth circuit, especially because Ennis was highly rated at Liverpool.
In a podcast with his loan club, Fleetwood Town, he has opened up on the decision to cross the sacred line, albeit at the youth level.
He said: “It was a bit box-office at the time. But I was young, and the people around me felt it was right. Both clubs are massive, and the fundamentals of development are similar. I just wanted a fresh challenge.
“Everyone knows the standards, on and off the pitch [At United’s academy]. Training with the first team regularly really helps. Any exposure at that level helps massively.”
Man Utd trust Ennis
Injury worries have slightly stuttered his development because he’s playing in the fourth division at the age of 20, but Man Utd clearly haven’t lost hope.
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That is because he was awarded a new contract in the summer of 2024, which takes him to 2027 with the club.
United also selected a loan for him carefully, because he’s gone back to League Two football despite winning promotion from it with Doncaster last year.
He could have played a larger role in that promotion push, so he went back to League Two football, with United careful about pushing him too much and seeing him break down.
Ennis is repaying that trust with some fine performances for Fleetwood Town, including scoring on his debut and, more importantly, becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet over there.
If he continues this vein of form, United might think about giving him an extension and sending him on another loan spell next summer, because his current contract will have entered the last 12 months.
There’s still time to make Liverpool regret losing him to their biggest rivals.