Grace Clinton

Grace Clinton (born 31 March 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Women's Super League (WSL) club Manchester United and the England national team. Clinton started her senior career at Everton before moving to Manchester United. She had loan spells at Bristol City, where she won the 2022–23 Championship title, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Club career

Everton

Clinton came through the Everton academy. In preseason ahead of the 2020–21 campaign, then-16-year-old Clinton was called up to train with the first team after manager Willie Kirk singled her out as "a really talented teenager, but she's probably our sixth-choice midfielder. She could play for every Championship team and possibly a couple of WSL teams." He did, however, note room for improvement in her game defensively, stating she was "a little bit frustrating because she was a little bit lazy out of possession" and stated the influence of experienced England international Jill Scott could have after her arrival on loan in January 2021.

In August 2020, Clinton scored during a 5–0 preseason friendly win against Championship side Blackburn Rovers. She made her competitive senior debut for the club on 3 October 2020, appearing as a 74th-minute substitute for Izzy Christiansen in a 6–0 FA WSL victory over Aston Villa.

On 1 November 2020, Clinton was named as part of the squad for the delayed 2020 Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, where she was an unused substitute as Everton lost to Manchester City 3–1 in extra-time. She made her first start for the club on 18 November 2020 in a Merseyside derby as Everton beat Liverpool 1–0 in the 2020–21 League Cup.

Manchester United

On 15 July 2022, it was announced Clinton had signed for Manchester United on a three-year contract. United manager Marc Skinner was delighted with the signing, saying "she will bring invention, creation, and has the personality and resilience required".

Bristol City (loan)

On 14 January 2023, having not yet made an appearance for Manchester United, Clinton joined Women's Championship side Bristol City on loan for the remainder of the season. The next day, she scored a 93rd minute equaliser on her debut in a game that Bristol City ended up winning 3–2 against Coventry United. In her second appearance, Clinton was sent off for two yellow cards against Lewes in the 2022–23 League Cup, that City won 1–0.

On 23 April 2023, she scored the opening goal in the 4–0 win over Charlton Athletic, helping the team to win the 2022–23 Championship and promotion back to the WSL. In total, Clinton scored six goals in 15 appearances in all competitions for Bristol City, with her loan spell described as a "good stepping stone" by Skinner.

Tottenham Hotspur (loan)

On 14 August 2023, Clinton joined fellow WSL side Tottenham Hotspur on loan for the 2023–24 season.

In October 2023, she scored a long range goal against Brighton & Hove Albion to take the lead in a 3–1 win. In the following game she provided an assist for Martha Thomas in a 4–2 victory over Aston Villa. On 21 January 2024, Clinton scored two goals and provided an assist in a 4–3 league win against West Ham, described as the main reason Spurs were the dominant side in the match. Thriving with a struggling Spurs side, in February 2024, '' BBC Sport'' named her as a "standout performer" in the WSL. She finished the season with four goals and four assists in 20 WSL appearances. On 21 August 2024, she was named PFA Women's Young Player of the Year.

International career

Youth

Clinton has played for England at under-17, under-19, and under-23 youth levels.

On 30 July 2021, with the under-19s, Clinton provided the assist for the equalising goal, as well as scored the final goal, in a 4–1 win over Czech Republic. In October 2021, in 2022 U-19 Championship qualification, Clinton scored a hat-trick against Northern Ireland in an 8–1 win, followed by the winning goal against Switzerland in a 1–0 victory, helping England to qualify for the final tournament. On 17 February 2022, in the U-19 Marbella International Tournament, Clinton scored the opening goal in a 4–0 victory over Finland. In June 2022, Clinton was named to the under-19 squad for the 2022 U-19 Championship, where she scored the final goal against Norway in an 8–1 win. She played the full 90 minutes in each group match, as England were eliminated at the group stage.

In November 2022, Clinton played for the under-23 squad in friendlies against Netherlands and Italy. In April 2023, she played in matches against Portugal and Belgium, and was again called up for matches against Norway and Belgium in September 2023, starting both.

Senior

Clinton received her first England senior call-up in October 2023 for the UEFA Nations League matches against Belgium but did not make an appearance. She retained her place in the squad during the December window but, again, was an unused substitute for both matches. Clinton made an impressive senior debut on 23 February 2024, starting and scoring within 19 minutes in a 7–2 friendly victory over Austria.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Bristol City
*Women's Championship: 2022–23

Tottenham Hotspur
* Women's FA Cup runner-up: 2023–24

Individual
*PFA Women's Young Player of the Year: 2023–24
* PFA WSL Team of the Year: 2023–24

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, Grace
2003 births
Living people
Footballers from Liverpool
English women's footballers
Women's association football midfielders
Everton F.C. (women) players
Manchester United W.F.C. players
Bristol City W.F.C. players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women players
Women's Super League players
Women's Championship (England) players
England women's youth international footballers
England women's international footballers
21st-century English sportswomen