George Hirst (footballer)

George Hirst
George Hirst with Ipswich Town in August 2023
Personal information
Full name George David Eric Hirst[1]
Date of birth (1999-02-15) 15 February 1999 (age 25)[2]
Place of birth Sheffield, England
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Ipswich Town
Number 27
Youth career
0000–2016 Sheffield Wednesday
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Sheffield Wednesday 1 (0)
2018–2019 OH Leuven 22 (3)
2019–2023 Leicester City 2 (0)
2020–2021 → Rotherham United (loan) 31 (0)
2021–2022 → Portsmouth (loan) 40 (13)
2022–2023 → Blackburn Rovers (loan) 9 (0)
2023 → Ipswich Town (loan) 21 (6)
2023– Ipswich Town 33 (8)
International career
2016 England U17 7 (3)
2016–2017 England U18 9 (4)
2017–2018 England U19 11 (3)
2017–2019 England U20 13 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:33, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

George David Eric Hirst (born 15 February 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Ipswich Town. He is the son of former Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst.

Club career

Sheffield Wednesday

After coming through the academy, Hirst signed his first professional contract for Sheffield Wednesday in March 2016.[4]

He made his first team debut against Cambridge United on 9 August 2016, in the EFL Cup in a 2–1 defeat.[5] His league debut came on 10 December 2016 against Reading in a 2–1 defeat.[5] In April 2018, Hirst was linked with a move to Manchester United after rejecting a long-term contract at Sheffield Wednesday.[6]

OH Leuven

In June 2018, Hirst was signed by a second division Belgian team, Oud-Heverlee Leuven, led by former Sheffield Wednesday player Nigel Pearson.[7]

Leicester City

After just one season at OH Leuven, Hirst joined Leicester City in the summer of 2019.[8] On 19 July 2020 Hirst made his debut for Leicester, coming on in the 83rd minute in a 3–0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Rotherham United (loan)

On 16 September 2020, Hirst joined Rotherham United on a season-long loan deal.[9]

Portsmouth (loan)

On 3 August 2021, Hirst joined League One side Portsmouth on loan for the 2021–22 season.[10] He scored his first goal for the club on 9 November 2021 in an EFL Trophy tie against Crystal Palace U21s.[11]

Blackburn Rovers (loan)

On 31 August 2022, Hirst joined Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan, with an option to buy.[12]

Ipswich Town (loan)

On 8 January 2023, Hirst joined Ipswich Town on loan for the rest of the season.[13]

Ipswich Town

On 13 July 2023, Hirst made his move to Ipswich Town permanent for a undisclosed fee, signing a four-year deal with the club.[14][15] He scored his first ever Championship goal on his second debut for the club, netting against Sunderland on the opening day of the 2023–24 season.[16]

Whilst playing against his former club, Leicester City, on 26 December 2023, he suffered a "significant" hamstring injury which would put him out for a majority of the rest of the season.[17] He returned for the final three games of the season, beginning with the 3-3 draw against Hull City on 27 April, starting the match and scoring the first goal of the game. He then started on the bench in the following game against Coventry City, before starting the final game of the season, a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town where Ipswich were promoted to the Premier League.

He scored his first Premier League goal for Ipswich on 26 October 2024, his first game in the starting lineup, in which the Tractor Boys went on to lose 4-3 at Brentford, having been two goals up in the first half.[18]

International career

Hirst made his debut for the England Under-17 national team during the Algarve Cup in February 2016 – in his second game for the team he scored twice against Germany in a 2–2 draw.[19] He was subsequently called up to the squad for the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Azerbaijan.[20] In the group stage Hirst scored against Denmark[21] and started the Quarter-final defeat against Spain.[22]

On 23 August 2016, Hirst was called up to the England U18's for the first time.[23] In summer 2017, Hirst represented England Under 20s at the 2017 Toulon Tournament, scoring a hat-trick in a game against Cuba[24] to take his 2016–17 tally to 40 goals in all competitions.[25] Hirst started in the final against the Ivory Coast which England won on penalties[26][27] and was subsequently named in the team of the tournament.[28]

On 1 September 2017, Hirst scored his second hat-trick of the Summer in a victory against Poland, for England Under-19.[29] In July 2018, Hirst was included in the squad for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.[30]

In May 2019, Hirst was included in the England U20 squad for the 2019 Toulon Tournament.[31]

In July 2024, he was reported considering changing international allegiance to Scotland, for whom he is eligible via his paternal grandfather.[32][deprecated source]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sheffield Wednesday 2016–17[33] Championship 1 0 0 0 1 0 — 2 0
2017–18[34] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 1 0 0 0 1 0 — 2 0
OH Leuven 2018–19 Belgian First Division B 22 3 1 0 — — 23 3
Leicester City 2019–20[35] Premier League 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
2020–21[36] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Leicester City U23 2019–20[35] — — — 6[c] 3 6 3
2020–21[36] — — — 1[c] 1 1 1
Total — — 7 4 7 4
Rotherham United (loan) 2020–21[36] Championship 31 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 32 0
Portsmouth (loan) 2021–22[37] League One 40 13 0 0 1 0 5 2 46 15
Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2022–23[38] Championship 9 0 0 0 2 0 — 11 0
Ipswich Town (loan) 2022–23[38] League One 21 6 2 1 — — 23 7
Ipswich Town 2023–24[39] Championship 26 7 0 0 3 0 — 29 7
2024–25[40] Premier League 7 1 0 0 0 0 — 7 1
Total 54 14 2 1 3 0 0 0 59 15
Career total 159 30 4 1 6 0 12 6 182 37
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, Belgian Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

Honours

Ipswich Town

England U20

Individual

  • Toulon Tournament Team of the Tournament: 2017[28]

References

  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  2. ^ "George Hirst". 11v11. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  3. ^ "George Hirst". Leicester City F.C. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. ^ "George Hirst pens first Owls professional contract". www.swfc.co.uk. 30 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b "George Hirst". SoccerBase. 17 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Manchester United targeting George Hirst, suggests Sheffield Wednesday boss Jos Luhukay". Sky Sports. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Leicester City target George Hirst signs for sister club OH Leuven". Leicester Mercury. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Leicester City Sign Trio Of Youth Internationals". Leicester Mercury. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  9. ^ "SIGNING | Millers land long-term target on loan". Rotherham United F.C. 16 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Hirst Arrives On Loan". www.portsmouthfc.co.uk. 3 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Pompey 3 Crystal Palace U21 0". portsmouthfc.co.uk. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Blackburn sign Leicester striker Hirst on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Ipswich Town: George Hirst arrives after a rollercoaster career". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  14. ^ "George Hirst Joins Ipswich Town". LCFC. 13 July 2023.
  15. ^ Warren, Andy (12 July 2023). "George Hirst Returns To Town". Ipswich Town FC. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  16. ^ Warren, Andy (7 August 2023). "George Delighted to Open Account". Ipswich Town FC. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Ipswich's Hirst out with 'significant' injury". BBC Sport. 28 December 2023.
  18. ^ Thomas, Marissa (26 October 2024). "Brentford 4-3 Ipswich: Clarke has afternoon to forget". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Hayes Saves Penalty and Dozzell Skippers as England U17s Draw With Germany – Ipswich Town News". TWTD.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  20. ^ "England Under-17s squad named for Euro Championship". The Football Association. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  21. ^ "England U17s into Euro quarter finals after win over Denmark". The Football Association. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  22. ^ "England Under-17s miss out on semi-final after loss to Spain". The Football Association. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Hirst called up for England Under-18s". www.swfc.co.uk. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  24. ^ "Hat-trick for George Hirst as U20s book Toulon Tournament semi-final spot". The Football Association. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  25. ^ "That's 40! Sheffield Wednesday's George Hirst on target again for England in Toulon Tournament". Sheffield Star. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  26. ^ "Spot on Young Lions hold their nerve to retain Toulon Tournament title". The Football Association. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  27. ^ a b "Toulon Tournament: England 1-1 Ivory Coast (5-3 penalties)". BBC Sport. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  28. ^ a b "Hirst named in Team of the Tournament". www.swfc.co.uk. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  29. ^ "Paul Simpson's young Lions kick-off their season in style at St. George's Park". The Football Association. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  30. ^ "England U19 boss Paul Simpson has named his squad for 2018 Euro Finals in Finland". The Football Association. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  31. ^ "ENGLAND MU20S SQUAD NAMED BY PAUL SIMPSON FOR MAURICE REVELLO TOURNAMENT IN FRANCE". TheFA.com. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  32. ^ "English Premier League striker set to switch national allegiance to play for Scotland". The Scottish Sun. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Games played by George Hirst in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  34. ^ "Games played by George Hirst in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Games played by George Hirst in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  36. ^ a b c "Games played by George Hirst in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Games played by George Hirst in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  38. ^ a b "Games played by George Hirst in 2022/2023". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  39. ^ "Games played by George Hirst in 2023/2024". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  40. ^ "Games played by George Hirst in 2024/2025". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  41. ^ "Fleetwood Town 2 - 2 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  42. ^ "We Are Premier League!". 4 May 2024.