Former Manchester United goalkeeper Paul Woolston has thanked his old teammates for their support following his retirement from football.
It was announced in March that Woolston, at the age of 23, had been forced to hang up his boots following two operations and a lengthy rehabilitation period. He was determined to regain full fitness and reignite his career but was unable to achieve his goal.
The former shot-stopper, who last played for United's Under-23s in December 2020, joined the Reds in November 2018 following a successful trial period. Prior to that, he had spent time on the books of both Gateshead and Newcastle United.
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Having joined a club of United's stature, the last thing Woolston would have wanted was to have been forced into retirement at such a young age. But while it was a difficult decision for the goalkeeper to be forced into, he has thanked his old team-mates for their support, including Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay.
"None of them have to do it [give me support]," Woolston told the UTD Podcast. "Harry and Scott didn't have to come and see me. The messages I got from them, they didn't have to do it, they didn't have to be seen to do it. It just shows the type of people they are.
"[Grant has] been brilliant. He's helped me get through the whole acknowledgement process of what's happening because we'll just talk about everything. We'll have coffee and just think about the future and try and take my mind off what's happening.
"[He helps me] stay positive and I think that's been brilliant. No matter what time of day it is, within reason - I'm not ringing him in the middle of the night - he'll take time out of his day to talk for a couple of hours and just put my mind at rest and just talk about life."
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