Ethan Galbraith

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Ethan Galbraith
Ethan Galbraith.jpg
Galbraith playing for Manchester United U18s in 2017
Personal information
Full name Ethan Stuart William Galbraith [1]
Date of birth (2001-05-11) 11 May 2001 (age 24) [2]
Place of birth Glengormley, Northern Ireland [3]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) [4]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Swansea City
Number 30
Youth career
Carnmoney Colts
Ballyclare Comrades
Glentoran
Crusaders
–2017 Linfield
2017–2019 Manchester United
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019–2023 Manchester United 0 (0)
2021–2022 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 33 (1)
2022–2023 → Salford City (loan) 32 (4)
2023–2025 Leyton Orient 78 (10)
2025– Swansea City 5 (1)
International career‡
2016–2017 Northern Ireland U17 5 (0)
2018 Northern Ireland U19 3 (0)
2019–2022 Northern Ireland U21 19 (1)
2019– Northern Ireland 9 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:00, 13 September 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:54, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

Ethan Stuart William Galbraith (born 11 May 2001) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Championship club Swansea City and the Northern Ireland national team.

Contents

Galbraith left Linfield to join the Manchester United academy in 2017. He made his first-team debut for United in a UEFA Europa League match against Astana in November 2019. He spent the 2021–22 season on loan at Doncaster Rovers. Galbraith represented Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19, under-21 levels. He made his senior international debut at the age of 18, against Luxembourg, in September 2019.

Club career

Galbraith played for Carnmoney Colts, Ballyclare Comrades, Glentoran, Crusaders and Linfield in his youth. [5] In 2017, he left Linfield and joined the youth academy of English club Manchester United on a one-year scholarship, before signing a two-year professional contract with the club in May 2018. [6] On 28 November 2019, he made his senior debut in a UEFA Europa League match against Kazakh team Astana, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Tahith Chong. [7] In October 2020, Galbraith signed a new three-year contract with United, with the option of an extra year. [8]

Doncaster Rovers and Salford City loans

He joined League One club Doncaster Rovers on a season-long loan in August 2021. [9] On 26 October, Galbraith scored his first goal for Doncaster, scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Cambridge United with a strike from 30 yards. [10] Manager Richie Wellens praised his performances, predicting that he would go on to have a long and successful career. [11] Galbraith described his spell at Doncaster as a "great experience" despite the team being relegated. [12]

On 1 September 2022, Galbraith joined League Two side Salford City on a season-long loan, managed by former United youth coach Neil Wood. [13] He scored his first goal for the club on 8 October in a 1–0 win against Northampton Town, Salford's first win against their opponents. [14]

On 16 May 2023, Galbraith confirmed that he will leave Manchester United at the end of 2022–23 season. [15]

Leyton Orient

On 29 June 2023, Galbraith signed for Leyton Orient. [16]

Swansea City

On 4 July 2025, Galbraith signed for Swansea City for an undisclosed fee and on a three-year contract, with an option for an additional 12 months. [17] He made his debut on 9 August 2025, starting in a 0–1 loss against Middlesbrough. [18] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 EFL Cup first round win over Crawley Town, scoring the third in stoppage time via a volley from outside of the box. [19] [20]

International career

Galbraith made five appearances for Northern Ireland at under-17 level and three appearances at under-19 level. [21] He has made 19 appearances and scored one goal at under-21 level. [21] Galbraith made his senior international debut at the age of 18 on 5 September 2019, in a friendly match against Luxembourg which finished as a 1–0 win. [22]

Playing style

Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough described Galbraith as the country's version of Spanish international midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. [23] Neil Wood has described him as technically gifted, and as a player who "can pick a pass and has all the different varieties of delivery". [24]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 August 2025 [2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United U21 2019–20 [25] —————3 [a] 131
2020–21 [26] —————1 [a] 010
Total000000004141
Manchester United 2019–20 [25] Premier League 0000001 [b] 0—10
2020–21 [26] Premier League00000000—00
2021–22 [27] Premier League00000000—00
2022–23 [28] Premier League00000000—00
Total000000100010
Doncaster Rovers (loan) 2021–22 [27] League One 3311000—2 [a] 0361
Salford City (loan) 2022–23 [28] League Two 3242000—4 [a] 0384
Leyton Orient 2023–24 [29] League One3942010—3 [a] 1455
2024–25 [30] League One3964030—5 [c] 0516
Total7810604000819611
Swansea City 2025-26 [31] Championship 200011——31
Career total1451590511018217818
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearance in the UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Two appearances in the EFL Trophy and three appearances in the League One play-offs

International

As of match played 7 September 2025 [32]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Northern Ireland 201910
202010
202420
202550
Total90

References

  1. ↑ "2019/20 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 Ethan Stuart William Galbraith at Soccerway . Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Anka, Carl (30 August 2020). "Manchester United's breakthrough star – Ethan Galbraith". The Athletic. Retrieved 12 September 2020.(Subscription required.)
  4. ↑ "Ethan Galbraith Profile, News & Stats". Premier League. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Hanna, Gareth (22 May 2018). "Who is Ethan Galbraith? All you need to know about Manchester United's Northern Ireland youth international". Belfast Telegraph . Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  6. ↑ "Under-17 international earns deal at Old Trafford". Irish Football Association . 21 May 2018. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Gemma (28 November 2019). "FC Astana 2 Manchester United 1". Manchester United. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Galbraith signs new United contract until June 2023". Manchester United. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Ethan Galbraith: Manchester United youngster joins League One side Doncaster Rovers on loan". BBC Sport. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  10. ↑ "Doncaster 1-1 Cambridge: Ethan Galbraith earns point for Rovers in draw". Sky Sports News . 26 October 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  11. ↑ Hoden, Liam (4 November 2021). "Doncaster Rovers boss backs Manchester United loanee Ethan Galbraith for 'great career' following latest Northern Ireland call". Doncaster Free Press . Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  12. ↑ Killen, Stephen (10 March 2022). "'It shows' — Manchester United loanee Ethan Galbraith delivers Doncaster loan verdict". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  13. ↑ Flintham, Jack (1 September 2022). "Manchester United youngster Ethan Galbraith joins Salford City on loan". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "Northampton 0-1 Salford: Ethan Galbraith nets first-half winner to seal win at Sixfields". Sky Sports . 8 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  15. ↑ "Galbraith Confirms United Departure". Manchester United FC. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Orient sign NI midfielder Galbraith & striker Agyei". BBC Sport. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Swansea City complete transfer of Ethan Galbraith". Swansea City A.F.C. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  18. ↑ "Middlesbrough 1-0 Swansea City: Dael Fry gives Rob Edwards opening day win". BBC Sport. 9 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  19. ↑ Morton, Johnny (13 August 2025). "Swansea City fans all saying the same thing about 'absolutely magnificent' Northern Ireland star after scoring maiden goal". News Letter . Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "Report | Swansea City 3 Crawley Town 1". Swansea City A.F.C. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  21. 1 2 "E. Galbraith". besoccer.com. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  22. ↑ "Soaking up the atmosphere at Windsor was a dream come true, says top prospect Ethan Galbraith". Belfast Telegraph. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  23. ↑ Fullerton, Gareth (5 November 2020). "'Ethan Galbraith is Northern Ireland's Iniesta or Xavi' says Ian Baraclough". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  24. ↑ Fullerton, Gareth (29 July 2022). "Manchester United youngster Ethan Galbraith on the right path, says coach Neil Wood". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  25. 1 2 "Games played by Ethan Galbraith in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  26. 1 2 "Games played by Ethan Galbraith in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  27. 1 2 "Games played by Ethan Galbraith in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  28. 1 2 "Games played by Ethan Galbraith in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  29. ↑ "Games played by Ethan Galbraith in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  30. ↑ "Games played by Ethan Galbraith in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  31. ↑ "Games played by Ethan Galbraith in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  32. ↑ "Ethan Galbraith". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
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