“I have had so many operations on the left side that my body now tilts, and some days I could barely pass the ball,” the former Manchester United midfielder James Weir says. The 28-year-old is explaining why he has announced his retirement after a career plagued by injuries.
Weir made his Premier League debut as a last-minute substitute under Louis van Gaal on the same day as Marcus Rashford. The England striker scored a double against Arsenal that afternoon in February 2016 and his story needs no more telling, whereas Weir spent the following years on a somewhat nomadic journey, culminating in a sixth-month spell at Zlate Moravce, who sit bottom of the Slovakian top flight with five points from 24 games. Last month he called it a day.
“I was on the bench for about 10 games,” Weir says of his time with the United first team. “It was a bit of a whirlwind – it feels like a lifetime ago. My debut was an out‑of-body experience but they were the best moments of my career. Being in the squad and exposed to a club that size was incredible. I wouldn’t change that minute for anything.”
Being a young professional at United is enjoyable, and Weir maybe stayed too long. He has not fallen out of love with the game, and can still be found playing seven or nine-a-side in Cheshire with a group of fellow former professionals and those waiting to find a club, including Ravel Morrison and Danny Simpson.
After a spell in Hungary at MTK Budapest, historically one of the country’s biggest clubs, Weir needed a year out for surgery and lengthy rehabilitation. A trial with the National League side York followed but Weir felt the best option was to return to Slovakia, where he previously had a successful season with Pohronie, helping them avoid relegation, and had enjoyed life away from England. “When we played in the Slovakian Cup it was crazy because as a top-tier team you would travel away to villages and the entire population would come to watch,” Weir says.
“Afterwards they would put on a fair and celebration where they would feed you goulash and have a beer with all the locals. It was so much smaller and community-oriented.”
When it became clear his body was struggling with day-to-day professional life, Weir stepped away. He had already started a part-time degree in sport, business management and account policy at Manchester Metropolitan University. A number of options were considered, including a career in the police, but he has opted to become an independent travel agent. “I can still play football at some level but playing at a professional level day in and day out, my body didn’t have that,” Weir says. “It was not worth the sacrifice of living away any more. I thought I needed to cut the cord early and move on to something else.”
Weir is helped by the fact he was always the organiser at United, whether in the middle of the park or with excursions. One trip sticks in his mind. “Phil Jones was training with the reserves at the time, so he suggested we sort a day out at Aintree. He paid for the box, all the food and drink were included, but then he got told he needed to make a player appearance and could not attend, so the reserve team went without him and Phil Jones picked up the bill. We got wrecked but had a great day. I was gone – I think I made a speech.”
Weir captained United’s Under‑21s to a title victory but was sold to then Premier League Hull in August 2016, signing a three‑year deal. Injuries limited his chances and he joined spiralling Bolton in League One in 2019 but quickly fell out of favour with the manager, Keith Hill, so terminated his contract and moved abroad. “The big question I got from my teammates in Slovakia – and to a lesser extent Hungary – was: ‘Why are you here?’ as they wondered how I had gone from Manchester United to there. They all love James Bond in Hungary so they made me wear the No 7, so I could be 007 James Bond. It was either that or Paul Scholes because we have a similar hair colour.”
A history of playing alongside stars helped abroad, one club providing a social media test to get players to phone their most famous contact. Sadly for Weir, Rashford had changed his number and Andrew Robertson went straight to voicemail.
Whereas many footballers are unwilling to leave their comfort zone, Weir was keen for travel. He enjoyed his honeymoon in Botswana. “My family was always big on visiting new places – my sister has done it extensively,” Weir says. “My brothers have lived all around the world, so I got used to visiting new places and loved it. My dad pushed us to travel and see wildlife – he loved that. Our honeymoon was an out‑of‑this‑world experience.”
Premier League football is a world away from Weir’s new life but he is happy to have made the journey there.
