The defender had a brief loan spell with the Hoops during his time at Manchester United then went on to feature for Nottingham Forest
USL Championship side New Mexico United have confirmed the signing of former Celtic, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United defender, Tyler Blackett, two years since his last professional appearance.
The defender was most recently at Rotherham United for the start of their 2023/24 campaign in the EFL Championship but was released the following summer after they were relegated. Now at the age of 32, Blackett is making a surprise return to the game.
After coming through the ranks in a star-studded Manchester United squad, he was farmed out to Celtic in 2015 under Ronny Deila to earn more first team game-time. However, the move didn’t go to plan as Blackett made only eight appearances in a Hoops jersey. After his failed Celtic loan switch, United then sold him to Reading, where he would spend the next four years. He went on to have short spells at Nottingham Forest, FC Cincinnati and Rotherham.
Blackett makes shock football return after two years
A statement from his new club read: “New Mexico United have signed centre back Tyler Blackett for the remainder of the 2026 season, pending league and federation approval. The 32-year-old Manchester, England native joins United after an impressive career in England, Scotland, and the United States.
“Blackett started with the Manchester United youth academy and made his professional debut at the age of 19 with Blackpool. Blackett will bring his veteran experience to New Mexico as the Black and Yellow look to win their first cup in team history in the 2026 season.”
Having featured for England at almost every youth level, Blackett was tipped for big things as a youngster but wasn’t able to live up to expectation. The 2015/16 Scottish Premiership win with Celtic remains his only major honour as a player to this day. The versatile defender is now looking to revive his playing career in America’s second tier.
New Mexico ‘thrilled’ with Blackett signing
United Sporting Director, Itamar Keinan said: “We are thrilled to add someone with Tyler’s pedigree to our club. Tyler is not only bringing a wealth of experience with him, but also real quality and leadership to our backline. Welcome to the Black and Yellow Tyler!”
Based in Albuquerque, the club were founded in 2018 and are one of the best-supported teams in the USL Championship. Last season, they came third in the Western Conference but lost out to Tulsa in the play-off finals. They are now hoping with the addition of the experienced Blackett that he can help them go one better for the upcoming campaign.
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