Former Manchester United defender Sam Murray has opened up on his unforgettable experience at Old Trafford as he starts a new chapter with Carlisle United.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that Murray had signed for Carlisle after being released by United.
Though he featured consistently for United’s youth teams last season, the club decided not to renew his stay.
This prompted Carlisle, who are managed by United legend Mark Hughes, to make a move for Murray and add him to their ranks.
Murray is no stranger to Brunton Park, having featured there in the EFL Trophy when he replaced Tyler Fredricson at half-time during United’s 2-1 victory. The 2022 fixture also saw Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho in the starting lineup, with Charlie McNeill and Omari Forson getting on the scoresheet.
Reacting to joining Carlisle, Murray told their club media, “I’m excited, delighted to be here really. I know it’s a great opportunity and I spoke to Mark Hughes last week, spoke to Marc Tierney and heard about the project that they’ve got here and what they want to achieve over the next two years, it was something that I wanted to be a part of.”
On his motivations for joining the side, he replied, “Well I want to, first of all, play football and be playing as much as I can. This club is a big club, it’s got big ambitions and I think it’s a step in the right direction and the right step for me.”
On his time with United, Murray explained, “I was at Huddersfield when I was eight until 14 and then their academy shut down, so I went to Man United and I was there for six or seven years.”
“It was amazing [at Man United], it was a good six years of my life, I learnt a lot football wise on and off the pitch and had some great experiences and it will stick with me and help me kick on here. You’re around unbelievable players every day so you learn a lot from them. Coaches, first team coaches, you learn a lot from them too, their different playing styles.”
“When I was at United when I was 14 it was Travis Binnion and he moved all the way up with me, so he became the 16s, 18s and 21s coach, so you know, I’ve got to thank him a lot for his work with me and how I’ve progressed.”
He added about winning the FA Youth Cup in 2022 alongside Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, “That was a mad experience, great bunch of lads. We just took it game by game and it’s a great memory.”
The 20-year-old also recalled being part of United’s pre-season squad while Erik ten Hag was in charge.
“I was away in LA, we played Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Betis and Rangers at the start of pre-season so there were some good games to get me going and it was really good. I remember [playing at Brunton Park], I think we scored in the last minute. I liked it here, good stadium, there were good fans and I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
Murray revealed that his positive memories of playing at Brunton Park helped convince him that Carlisle was the right place to continue his career.
The defender could make his debut for his new club in the pre-season friendly against Motherwell on July 8.
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
