Breaking: Northampton sign Manchester United striker on season-long loan
Cobblers have finally secured themselves a striker in the shape of Manchester United youngster Ethan Wheatley.
Identified by Kevin Nolan at the start of the summer, the 6ft 2in teenager, who joined United aged nine and has played three times in the Premier League, arrives at Sixfields on a season-long loan to provide Northampton with some much-needed depth and quality in attack. He’s signed in time for Saturday’s League One opener at Wigan Athletic.
Strong technically, capable of using both feet and able to operate in various positions across the front-line, Stockport-born Wheatley scored regularly for Manchester United’s title-winning Under-18s and Under-21s in both 2023 and 2024 – netting 27 goals in total – and earned his first professional contract with the club in January last year.
He back that up by making his Premier League debut in April 2024, becoming the 250th academy graduate to play for the club’s senior team, in a 4-2 win over Sheffield United. Former United manager, Erik ten Hag, was fond of Wheatley and brought him into last summer's pre-season tour squad to the United States, in addition to selecting him for three Premier League games.
The 19-year-old has also represented England at under-17, under-18 and under-19 level, scoring three goals in 10 appearances for the latter, and he played four times on loan for Walsall last season. Just this summer he scored twice in two games for England in the 2025 Under-19 European Championships, netting against both Germany and the Netherlands.
He is Nolan’s 13th signing of the summer and is expected to be involved when Cobblers head to Wigan for tomorrow’s League One curtain-raiser.