Grace Clinton is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Manchester City Women and the England women’s national team. Born in Liverpool on 31 March 2003, she came through Everton’s academy before establishing herself as one of the Women’s Super League’s most promising young midfielders.
Her career has moved quickly since a breakthrough loan at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023–24. Clinton won the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year award in 2024, joined Manchester City from Manchester United in 2025, and scored on her City debut in September of that year.
Who is Grace Clinton?
Grace Clinton is a 23-year-old midfielder from Liverpool who plays for Manchester City in the Women’s Super League and for England at international level. She is primarily a central or attacking midfielder, often operating as a No. 8 or No. 10, and she has also featured in deeper roles depending on the tactical system. Her game is built around ball progression, combination play, pressing and late arrivals into the penalty area.
| Player | Position | Current club | National team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Clinton | Midfielder | Manchester City | England |
Several facts stand out across her club and international career:
- Clinton moved from Manchester United to Manchester City in 2025, confirming her exit publicly.
- She scored on her Manchester City debut in a 5–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 19 September 2025.
- Her 2023–24 loan at Tottenham was the turning point in her development.
- She won the 2024 PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year award.
- Clinton is a senior England international and was part of the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship winning squad.
- BBC Sport characterised her relationship with Manchester United as “not on same page”.
| Full name | Grace Clinton |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 March 2003 |
| Age | 23 |
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Current club | Manchester City Women |
| Club number | 6 |
| National team | England |
| National team number | 11 |
| Contract | Reported through summer 2029 |
| Recent notable event | Scored on Manchester City debut vs Tottenham, 19 September 2025 |
Her biography is documented in detail across official and media sources, including her Wikipedia profile and her UEFA player page.
Why did Grace Clinton leave Manchester United?
BBC Sport reported on 4 September 2025 that Clinton confirmed her Manchester United exit via social media. The report described the split by saying Clinton and United were “not on same page”. Her departure followed months of speculation about her future at the club.
Clinton said the decision came down to a difference in direction. She explained that she and the club’s future path were not aligned, a phrase that pointed to competing visions rather than a single falling-out. The BBC’s report on the exit framed it as a significant moment in the WSL summer window.
Manchester United had originally signed Clinton from Everton on 15 July 2022, with an initial contract running through the end of the 2024–25 season. The club’s announcement at the time highlighted her progress through Everton’s academy and her potential in United’s midfield. After loan spells at Bristol City and Tottenham, she returned to make her United debut in September 2024. A detailed career explainer published by Impetus Football traces that arc in full.
What did Grace Clinton say about leaving Manchester United?
In her social media statement, Clinton confirmed the exit without attributing it to a single incident. BBC Sport summarised the situation as one in which she was “not on same page” with the club. Her own wording emphasised a mismatch in future direction rather than a breakdown in relationships.
When did Grace Clinton confirm her Manchester United exit?
Her public confirmation came in early September 2025. BBC Sport published its article on 4 September 2025, making that date the first widely reported moment of the announcement.
Manchester United activated a one-year extension option in January 2025, yet Clinton still departed during the following summer window. The gap between those two events fuelled speculation, but the public reporting did not include detailed internal reasons for the final split.
How did Grace Clinton perform on her Manchester City debut?
Clinton scored on her Manchester City debut on 19 September 2025, helping City to a 5–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The goal carried extra significance because it came against the club where she had spent the 2023–24 season on loan. BBC Sport’s match report on the debut led with the way the goal eased the pressure on her early days at the club.
What did Grace Clinton say about playing for Manchester City?
After the match, Clinton said the debut goal “takes pressure off”, a phrase that BBC Sport used as its headline. In a separate interview posted on YouTube, she spoke about the quality around her and described being “EXCITED to play with EXCEPTIONAL PLAYERS” at City. That interview captured her first reactions to training alongside her new teammates.
Who are Grace Clinton’s Manchester City teammates?
The City squad Clinton joined included England midfielder Jess Park, who moved to Manchester United as part of the same transfer arrangement. Clinton’s own comments referenced the calibre of the players around her, pointing to the depth of the squad she had walked into.
Clinton’s debut goal came against Tottenham, the club where her breakthrough loan season took place. The fixture therefore allowed her to measure her progress against a familiar opponent in her first competitive appearance for City.
What is Grace Clinton’s England and UEFA career profile?
Clinton represented England at under-17, under-19 and under-23 levels before breaking into the senior squad. She was part of the England team that reached the 2022 UEFA Women’s Under-19 European Championship finals. Her official England profile records the full progression through the age groups.
She received her first senior call-up in October 2023, after her performances for Tottenham. Clinton made her senior debut in February 2024 and scored 19 minutes after coming on during England’s 7–2 win over Austria. She later scored against Switzerland, taking her to three England goals in her first five senior appearances.
In June 2025, Clinton was selected for England’s squad at Euro 2025. She came on in the 115th minute of the final against Spain, which England won on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
What is Grace Clinton’s national team number?
She wears No. 11 for England, according to her UEFA profile.
What is Grace Clinton’s club number?
She wears No. 6 at Manchester City. Her contract with the club is reported to run through the summer of 2029.
Is Grace Clinton in the England squad?
Yes. Clinton appears in England’s squad listings for the UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers, and she remains part of the senior international setup.
What honours has Grace Clinton won?
- PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year: 2024
- PFA WSL Team of the Year: 2023–24
- Women’s Championship winner: 2022–23 with Bristol City
- UEFA Women’s European Championship winner: 2025 with England
- WSL winner: 2025–26 with Manchester City
- Women’s FA Cup winner: 2025–26 with Manchester City
Her honours list is tracked in detail on her FotMob player profile.
Some search queries pair Grace Clinton with the Clinton family name or with an unconfirmed sister who plays football. None of the authoritative biographies reviewed for this profile confirm any such family connection.
What is the timeline of Grace Clinton’s move to Manchester City?
The following timeline traces the key events in Clinton’s rise from Everton’s academy to Manchester City:
- – Clinton is born in Liverpool.
- – Makes her senior debut for Everton in a 6–0 win over Aston Villa.
- – Signs her first professional contract with Everton.
- – Manchester United announces her signing from Everton.
- – Loaned to Bristol City; wins the Women’s Championship.
- – Loaned to Tottenham Hotspur; named PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year.
- – Scores on her Manchester United debut in a 3–0 win at Old Trafford.
- – Confirms her Manchester United exit via social media.
- – Joins Manchester City; Jess Park moves to United. Reports at the time indicated a contract through 2029.
- – Scores on her City debut in a 5–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Is Grace Clinton related to the Clinton family?
No. The available authoritative player biographies identify Clinton as being from Liverpool and outline her Everton upbringing, but they do not establish any connection to the Clinton family name associated with US politics. The search cluster that mixes the two is a case of name similarity rather than a documented relationship.
Queries about a “Grace Clinton sister” also appear in search data. The official biographies and club profiles reviewed for this article do not mention a sister or provide confirmed details about her wider family. Any claim about a footballing sister should therefore be treated cautiously unless it is confirmed by Clinton, her clubs, the Football Association or a reputable interview source. A similar pattern of rumour-driven search interest around other athletes is explored in this profile of Sophie Cunningham – Career Stats and Rumors Explained.
The “Grace Clinton Everton” query, by contrast, matches a confirmed chapter of her career. Clinton came through Everton’s academy and made her senior debut for the club in 2020, before joining Manchester United in 2022. Whether some searches refer to that academy spell, a loan or another detail is not always clear, but the Everton link itself is well documented.
| Established information | Information that remains unclear |
|---|---|
| She is a midfielder. | The exact reasons for her Manchester United departure were not fully explained in public reporting. |
| She was born on 31 March 2003. | Whether she has a sister is not confirmed by available sources. |
| She plays for Manchester City. | Whether low-volume searches for “Grace Clinton Everton” refer to another person or a specific career detail is unconfirmed. |
| She is an England international. | Any connection to the wider Clinton family name is unsupported by the evidence. |
| She confirmed her Manchester United exit via social media. | |
| She scored on her City debut against Tottenham on 19 September 2025. |
What is the background to Grace Clinton’s rise in English football?
Clinton’s route to the top of the WSL started at Everton’s academy. She made her senior debut in October 2020, signed her first professional contract in April 2021, and joined Manchester United in July 2022. The loan spells that followed shaped her career: at Bristol City she helped the club win the 2022–23 Women’s Championship, and at Tottenham she became a regular starter, a creative reference point and the 2024 PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year. Her ESPN player page traces those steps across the clubs she has represented.
The transfer to Manchester City, completed in the summer of 2025, placed her in a squad that had invested heavily in England internationals. The deal also saw Jess Park move in the opposite direction, underlining the scale of the arrangement. City’s 2025–26 season brought Clinton the WSL title and the Women’s FA Cup, adding tangible silverware to the promise she had shown during her loan years.
Her career has unfolded alongside a broader rise in attention for women’s football in England. Clinton’s path shares similarities with other England internationals whose club form has drawn widespread coverage, including the career documented in this profile of Alessia Russo – Age, Height, Partner and Full Career Profile.
What have sources said about Grace Clinton?
Several headlines and interview lines have shaped the public narrative around Clinton’s recent career:
“Debut Man City goal ‘takes pressure off’”
BBC Sport headline
“Clinton ‘not on same page’ as Man Utd as she confirms exit”
BBC Sport headline
“EXCITED to play with EXCEPTIONAL PLAYERS for Man City”
YouTube interview title
These three lines capture the arc of her 2025: a public exit from Manchester United, an immediate impact at Manchester City, and a clear sense of enthusiasm about the players around her.
What should you remember about Grace Clinton?
Grace Clinton has established herself as a WSL regular, an England international and a European champion before turning 24. Her move to Manchester City in 2025 marked a new chapter, and her debut goal against Tottenham delivered immediate proof of her arrival. Official Manchester City channels at mancity.com and the Football Association’s pages at thefa.com are the most reliable places to follow her ongoing club and international career.
How old is Grace Clinton?
Clinton was born on 31 March 2003, making her 23 as of late 2026. She was 22 when she scored on her Manchester City debut in September 2025.
What position does Grace Clinton play?
She is a midfielder, typically operating as a central No. 8 or a more advanced No. 10. She has also played in deeper roles when the tactical system requires it.
Does Grace Clinton play for Manchester United or Manchester City?
She plays for Manchester City. She confirmed her Manchester United exit in September 2025 and joined City during the same summer transfer window.
Had Grace Clinton previously played for Tottenham?
Yes. Clinton spent the 2023–24 WSL season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, where her performances earned her the 2024 PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year award.
What is the Subway Women’s League Cup?
The term appears in official Barclays WSL social media, where a video of Clinton’s League Cup performance was labelled #SubwayWLC. It refers to the Women’s League Cup competition.
Where can I watch Grace Clinton’s Manchester City debut goal?
BBC Sport’s article on the 5–1 win over Tottenham and a YouTube interview from September 2025 include coverage of the debut goal and her post-match reaction.
Why do people search for “Grace Clinton sister”?
The query appears in search data, but no reliable answer is available in authoritative sources. Clinton’s official biographies do not mention a sister.
Did Grace Clinton play for Everton?
Yes. Clinton came through Everton’s academy and made her senior debut for the club in October 2020 before joining Manchester United in July 2022.
Oliver Reeves leads fact-checking, source verification and editorial standards at RegionalReport.co.uk.