Tom Manley

Who was Tom Manley?

Thomas Ronald "Tom" Manley, was an English football player.

He started playing football as a half back for Northwich Victoria. He joined Manchester United as an amateur in September 1930 after being discovered by legendary scout Louis Rocca, and made his debut more than a year later on 5 December 1931 against Millwall. He is credited with being the first youth product from the Manchester United youth team. At United, he played various outfield positions, from fullback to forward. During his United career, he scored 41 goals in 195 appearances for the club. He moved to Brentford in July 1939. During the war, he appeared 23 times for Brentford and several times as a guest player for United. After the Football League resumed, he continued playing for Brentford, and became its captain. His last game for Brentford was on 30 September 1951. He retired from professional football in 1952 and went on to manage Northwich Victoria.

He died in July 1988 at the age of 75.