Louie Bradbury scores debut hat-trick for Stoke City against Man City within 24 hours of leaving United

Louie Bradbury left Manchester United on Friday, signed a two-year professional contract with Stoke City, and by Saturday afternoon had scored a debut hat-trick against Manchester City in a 13-goal Under-18 Premier League thriller — all before his first full weekend as a Stokie was over.

The 17-year-old Welsh youth international was handed a start for Stoke’s Under-18s and wasted no time making his mark, even if his treble ultimately came in a losing cause. City won 8-5 in a contest that produced goals at a relentless pace, with the visitors racing into a 4-0 lead inside 32 minutes before Bradbury opened his account for the hosts.

City extended their advantage to 7-1 by the hour mark, but Stoke mounted a remarkable comeback to pull it back to 7-5, with Bradbury completing his hat-trick in the process. A late City eighth sealed the result and ended any hopes of a full comeback.

Dexter Oliver and Timeo Whisker both scored hat-tricks for Manchester City, while Teddie Lamb added two in what was an extraordinary afternoon for goalscorers at both ends.

For Bradbury, the individual performance was a striking introduction to life at the Britannia. The teenager spent four years in United’s academy and made 26 appearances for their Under-21s, scoring 10 times. This season he had already featured for United’s Under-18s, netting in a 3-0 win over Everton just days before his move to Stoke was confirmed. He also represented Wales Under-19s over the summer, coming off the bench against both Denmark and Spain.

Bradbury’s departure is the latest in a series of exits from United’s youth ranks. Gabriele Biancheri recently left the club to join Austrian second-division side FC Wacker Innsbruck, continuing a trend of young players seeking first-team opportunities elsewhere.