Ben Woodburn left Preston North End, and Salford City signed him, the club’s official website revealed.
As they get ready for their first full season under the direction of Karl Robinson, the former manager of Oxford United, Charlton Athletic, and MK Dons, Salford City has made an aggressive approach to entice the winger down to League Two.
After Preston North End elected not to prolong Woodburn’s stay and his contract officially expired in late June, the 24-year-old severed his links with the team at the end of the previous campaign. He now plays for the Ammies till 2026 and stated on their website: “I played with some of the top players in the world and learnt a lot under him (Jurgen Klopp).
I had a couple loans out in an attempt to establish myself in the Football League before being called up to play for Wales, which was an extremely proud event for me. I also had good experience playing under Ryan Giggs.
He is undoubtedly a legend in the game, and our positive friendship made coming here all the more appealing.
Woodburn came up through Liverpool’s system and was a mainstay for the Premier League’s biggest teams at several different junior levels.
When he scored against Leeds United in the EFL Cup in November 2016, he was just 17 years and 42 days old, making history as the Reds’ youngest goal scorer ever.
The attacker went on to play for the Merseyside team in 11 different competitions.
In order to gain experience, Liverpool loaned him to Hearts, Blackpool, Oxford United, and Sheffield United.
After leaving on a permanent basis in 2022, Woodburn—who has 11 caps for Wales—began playing football for Preston.
Since then, the Nottingham native has appeared in 53 games for the Lilywhites and scored three goals.
Next steps for the new kid in Salford City?
Woodburn’s transfer to a fourth-tier squad is unexpected.
But he’s joining Robinson, a boss he already knows and can rely on.
