FC United of Manchester have put out an urgent appeal to try and help raise funds for attacking midfielder Callum Gribbin’s potentially “career-saving” surgery.
The former Manchester United youth player was on the receiving end of a heavy collision along the touchline barely 90 seconds into a 1-1 draw against Warrington Town at Broadhurst Park on 28 January, and after being knocked down was left unable to get back up.
Following a scan, it was discovered that the challenge ruptured not only his anterior cruciate ligament, as well as his medial and posterior ligaments — all three of which are crucial in providing stability to the knee and are “devastating for anyone in terms of mobility”, not least an athlete.
While a crowdfunderwas originally set up to help give Gribbin and his family some financial support to “get through a year out of football”, the surgery is now more crucial than ever and his club are trying to make sure he gets back on the pitch.
As manager Neil Reynolds goes on to explain in the video message, the former United prospect — once dubbed the ‘next Ryan Giggs’ — Gribbin is not only a player with “brilliant quality on and off the ball”, but a “beautiful lad inside and out”.
ADVERTISEMENT
With that in mind, the idea of the 24-year-old, who has already had numerous setbacks in his career, having previosuly suffered with injuries and being released from his boyhood club after 11 years, being forced to give up the game he loves still so early in his career would be a real shame.
As a result, the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) have kindly funding 50% of the costs but the Salford-born lad still needs to find the other 50% of the cost by Friday, 17 March or the operation will sadly have to be delayed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Even after the operation, Gribbin still faces 9-12 months of rehabilitation before he can get to playing and as a non-league player trying to make a living, every bit of playing time counts.
Speaking in the statement on their website, the club said: “Everytime a player pulls on the shirt and crosses the white line, like any player in any team, they are doing so to get the best result possible for their club… they are also doing is putting their physical well-being on the line…
“Anything you can afford, no matter how small, it would help Callum through an incredibly tough period in his life – he wouldn’t ask for this support himself – but he needs it more than ever.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Set up by FC Westhoughton fan Tim Browning, his fundraising page has already accrued nearly £9,000 of its intended £10k goal but still needs that extra push to get him over the line. Moroever, as alluded to earlier, anything extra will go towards helping support him and his family over the next year or so.
You can donate to Callum Gribbin’s GoFundMe and help him secure his career-saving surgery HERE. All the best, Callum, we wish you a speedy recovery.
Featured Image — FC United of Manchester/Callum Gribbin/Ben Roberts Photography (via Twitter)
Sport
Bayern Munich reportedly set to target Phil Foden in the summer transfer window
Danny Jones
European giants Bayern Munich are said to be interested in homegrown Manchester City star, and are interested in signing him this coming transfer window.
And if you believe some of the reports circulating around the Stockport-born footballer, he could very well be looking to leave the Etihad in the summer.
Foden seems to have somewhat fallen out of favour at Man City of late, having been benched in four of the last five games, with his overall minutes having been on a gradual slump over recent months; as a result, some sources are suggesting it’s prompted a potential move away.
As per TEAMtalk, the Bundesliga side is hoping to target the City youth product and England international ahead of next season, with former teammate turned Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany very keen on acquiring his services.
Man City have stepped up efforts to secure Phil Foden's future with talks held during the international break and confidence is now growing that a new deal will be finalised before the end of the season, amid Bayern Munich interest, @TEAMtalk can reveal.https://t.co/ScBP5a3a08
Whether or not having a club and Premier League legend in charge would serve as a sweetener for the attacking midfielder or not, who knows?
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, while the gifted playmaker is said to be “frustrated” with the current situation at Man City, the club are believed to have “stepped up efforts to secure the long-term future of Phil Foden, with fresh talks held during the international break”
Having still managed to chip in with 15 goal contributions so far this campaign – two-thirds of those involvements being goals – the hope is that they can tie him down to a new deal long before the end of the season.
There’s no question about his natural talent and versatility across the forward line; it’s just whether or not he’s happy with his game time under Pep Guardiola, which admittedly has often fluctuated ever since he broke into the first team.
Pep has never made a secret of his love for Phil, either; he’s just not afraid to mix things up and try different things given the squad depth at his disposal and other teams in the division becoming increasingly competitive.
It’s also worth noting that many expect him to be in Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineups for the Three Lions at this year’s World Cup.
At present, Foden’s contract is set to expire at the end of the next term (2026/27), but it’s rumoured that he could soon commit to staying until 2030 on paper.
Now 25, the once up-and-coming youngster/’rising star’ is now a fully-fledged senior professional and serial winner.
With many years still ahead of him, you could argue that this is the perfect time to take on a new challenge, or equally, stay with his beloved Blues and extend their modern dynasty as one of the more experienced and decorated members of the dressing room.
As for whether Kompany can convince him to swap his familiar surroundings for a fresh chapter in Germany, or whether or not another big Champions League-level outfit monitoring the situation could come sniffing, only time will tell.
For now, let’s just hope he has an incredible few weeks over in North America this June and July.
A free snooker fan zone has popped up in Manchester for the 2026 Tour Championship
Danny Jones
We’re sure plenty of you are well aware that this year’s WST Sportsbet.io Tour Championship is happening in Manchester right now, but what many of you may not know is that a completely free snooker fan zone has opened up as part of it.
You don’t need a ticket for any of the actual matches to watch them on the big screen or even play one of your own.
However, it isn’t just the buzz inside the match room itself that the World Snooker Tour has brought on its return to the city centre – even the supporter hub outside is well worth a visit.
Based over at Manchester Central on the Exchange side of the building, while the games themselves are taking place in the main rooms, the foyer and surrounding areas have been turned into a fan park.
Perfect for anyone looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon or, indeed, a full day this week – not to mention an ideal activity for kids this coming Easter bank holiday weekend – if you’re a fan of the sport, you’d be a fool not to at least pop your head in.
Running until this Sunday, 5 April, when the tournament itself finishes, snooker lovers have access not only to a bar area with multiple big screens and food and drink, but also numerous free tables for them to play on.
In fact, you quickly turn a few frames into some proper practice if you’re so inclined, as there’s even on-site coaching to be made the most of.
As you can see, people of all ages have already turned up in their droves to soak up the atmosphere.
Once again, the competition is being broadcast live and free-to-air on Channel 5 if you’re happy to watch the games at home, but we don’t need to tell you what makes sitting in a room with a bunch of fellow fans and getting excited together so enjoyable.
If you visit the Manchester Central convention centre before the end of the week, you can even have a go at playing on a proper king-sized snooker table for the full pro-feel experience.
For anyone who wants to grab actual tickets for the matches as well, you can find them HERE.
Danny Jones -
15th March 2023 
