Leslie Brown Hofton (3 March 1888 – January 1971) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a full-back for Manchester United in two spells in the 1910s. Born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, Hofton began his career at Kiveton Park, before moving to Glossop via

Worksop Town Worksop Town Football Club is an English football club based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. As of the 2021–22 season the team plays in the . They are nicknamed ''The Tigers'' and play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop. History First clu ...

and Denaby United in April 1908. In July 1910, Hofton became Manchester United's first £1,000 signing, beating the previous club record of £700, which was spent on

Alex Bell Alexander Bell (20 October 1882 – 30 November 1934) was a footballer who played as a wing half. His professional career was mostly spent in England, where he won trophies with Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers. Born in South Africa, he w ...

in 1903. However, despite his record price tag, it took Hofton seven months to make his United debut, appearing for the first time away to Newcastle United on 18 February 1911. He then left the club on a free transfer in May 1913. The

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out just over a year later, but one year after its conclusion, in September 1919, Hofton re-signed for Manchester United. He continued to play for the club for two-and-a-half more years, amassing a total of 18 appearances for the club, before being sold to

Denaby Main Denaby Main is a village situated between Mexborough and Conisbrough in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. The village falls within the Doncaster MBC ward of Conisbrough and Denaby. It was built by the Denaby Ma ...

in February 1922.

References

External links

Profile
at MUFCinfo.com 1888 births 1971 deaths Footballers from Sheffield English footballers Association football fullbacks Kiveton Park F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players English Football League players Denaby United F.C. players English Football League representative players {{England-footy-defender-1880s-stub