Northern Irish football player

Craig George Cathcart ( bear 6 February 1989 ) is a Northern Irish professional football player who plays as a centre-back for Premier League baseball club Watford and the Northern Ireland national team. Cathcart has besides captained his nation ‘s under-21 side. A product of the Manchester United young person academy, Cathcart spent time on lend at belgian club Royal Antwerp, and English Football League Championship sides Plymouth Argyle and Watford, before joining newly promoted Blackpool in 2010. Cathcart returned to Watford in July 2014 on a permanent wave deal.

Club career [edit ]

early career [edit ]

Born in Belfast, [ 2 ] Cathcart was spotted playing football for Glengormley High School at the long time of 14, and, despite being coveted by clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Rangers upon winning the Northern Ireland Youth Player of the Year prize in 2003, [ 4 ] he began training at the Manchester United School of Excellence in Belfast. He signed trainee terms at Manchester United in July 2005, and turned professional on his 17th birthday in February 2006. Cathcart became a regular in the Manchester United Under-18s team, and was a extremity of the Under-17s team that played at the 2007 Northern Ireland Milk Cup, scoring the first goal in a 5–0 acquire over Liechtenstein. In the national teams he became very good friends with Kvik Halden-players Markus Manirakiza. They have played golf together and their families are very close. [ 5 ] During the 2006–07 season, he was made captain of the United youth team that reached the FA Youth Cup Final, [ 6 ] although he missed both legs of the concluding, the first through survival for the first team and the second through injury. [ 7 ] [ 8 ]

manchester United [edit ]

On 19 March 2007, Cathcart received his beginning call-up to the Manchester United senior police squad for the FA Cup Sixth Round replay with Middlesbrough. [ 9 ] After an wound to Nemanja Vidić, Cathcart was promoted to the first team police squad as cover on 31 March 2007. [ 10 ] He was an idle substitute in Manchester United ‘s 7–1 acquire against Roma in the Champions League less than two weeks later, [ 11 ] the FA Cup semi-final victory over Watford a further four days later, [ 12 ] and the victory over Sheffield United on 17 April. [ 13 ] speculation that this defensive wound crisis would lead to Cathcart making his senior debut ended when he suffered a season-ending stifle injury during trail after the match against Sheffield United. As a leave, he besides missed the irregular leg of the FA Youth Cup final examination ; he had already missed the beginning stage due to his call-up to the senior team. [ 14 ] Despite his injury, Cathcart ‘s performances in the club ‘s young person teams earned him the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award for the 2006–07 season .

loan to Antwerp [edit ]

At the originate of the 2007–08 season, Cathcart was sent on a half-season loanword to United ‘s belgian feeder club, Royal Antwerp, to gain match experience. [ 15 ] He made his debut for the Belgians on 22 September 2007, in a match against OC Charleroi. The next game saw Cathcart score Antwerp ‘s only goal of the game in a 4–1 passing to Kortrijk. He scored again in a couple against Tubize, to earn a 1–1 draw, and besides the world of the Match award. He made a foster nine appearances for “ The Great Old ”, to bring his sum to 13, before returning to Manchester United at the end of 2007. Although he was not primitively selected for the team, Cathcart was briefly called up to the Manchester United first team for their tour of South Africa on 24 July 2008, and played the full 90 minutes in the team ‘s 4–0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs on 26 July, his first appearance for the inaugural team. [ 16 ] He then came on as a 66th-minute substitute for Jonny Evans in a match against Portsmouth in Nigeria the follow day, before then coming on for Wes Brown at half-time in a friendly against Peterborough United on 4 August .

Loans to the championship [edit ]

On 8 August 2008, in a search for first-team football, Cathcart joined Championship side Plymouth Argyle, on loanword until the end of 2008. [ 17 ] This was late extended to the entire 2008–09 season, as Cathcart has promptly become a regular at Home Park. He scored his beginning Plymouth goal in their 3–1 get the better of at family to Ipswich in October 2008. [ 18 ] Cathcart returned to Manchester United at the end of the 2008–09 season and played in two pre-season friendlies for the substitute team before joining up with the first team for the Audi Cup in Munich. [ 19 ] After Nemanja Vidić suffered a calf strain in the warm-up before the semi-final against Boca Juniors, Cathcart was promoted to the starting XI. [ 20 ] Manchester United won the match 2–1, with Cathcart giving a good operation, although he did head the testis against his own crossbar midway through the second base one-half. [ 21 ] Cathcart scored the unfold goal in a 3–1 away win over Bolton Wanderers in the first game of the 2009–10 Premier Reserve League season on 24 August 2009. [ 22 ] The trace season, Cathcart was sought after by a number of Championship sides, and Manchester United received a bid of £1.25m from a Championship side but United preferred a lend bargain. Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town both showed an interest in the young defender, but he alternatively signed for Watford on loan until 4 January 2010, where he joined boyfriend Old Trafford teammate Tom Cleverley and Arsenal child Henri Lansbury on loanword. [ 23 ]

blackpool [edit ]

On 11 August 2010, Cathcart signed for Blackpool for an undisclosed tip, after agreeing a three-year narrow, with an choice for a further year. [ 24 ] Three days late, he made his debut as Blackpool marked their Premier League debut with a 4–0 succeed over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. [ 25 ] He scored his first goal in the Premier League with a brawny heading against his early club, Manchester United, at Bloomfield Road on 25 January 2011 ; the 15th-minute goal opened the seduce for the match, but Blackpool went on to lose 3–2. [ 26 ]

Watford [edit ]

Cathcart with Watford in 2015 On 24 June 2014, Cathcart agreed terms on a biennial deal with Watford having been out-of-contract at Blackpool. [ 27 ] He officially became a Watford player on 1 July. [ 28 ]

Cathcart ‘s first gear Watford appearance came as a utility for Gabriel Tamaș against AFC Bournemouth on 20 September 2014, scoring an equalising goal on his debut. In total, he played 29 league games, scoring three times, as Watford were promoted to the Premier League. Cathcart has since signed newfangled four-year deals in July 2015, June 2017 and June 2019. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] [ 31 ]

International career [edit ]

Cathcart has been involved with the Northern Ireland national team since Under-17 level, and was partially of the team that attempted to qualify for the 2006 european Under-17 Championship. [ 32 ] By November 2006, distillery just 17 years old, Cathcart had been promoted to the Northern Ireland Under-21 team, and was named in the squad for a friendly against Germany on 14 November 2006. [ 33 ] In February 2007, Cathcart was selected in the European team for the 2007 meridian Cup, a contest between two “ all-star ” Under-18 teams from Europe and Africa. [ 34 ] Since his first call-up, Cathcart has been a regular name in Northern Ireland Under-21 squads, and has indeed far made seven appearances for the team, the most recent being a 3–0 defeat by Germany on 5 September 2008. [ 35 ] Cathcart was called up to the Northern Ireland team in May 2009, along with nine other uncapped players for the international friendly against Italy on 6 June. [ 36 ] Cathcart made his full international debut in Northern Ireland ‘s 1–0 winnings against Slovenia in Maribor on 3 September 2010. Playing out of position at left-back, due to an injury to Jonny Evans, Cathcart put in a strong operation and set up the victorious finish for Corry Evans. [ 37 ] He played at 2016 UEFA European Championship when his team made it out of the group, which is the best resultant role in the european Championships. [ 38 ]

career statistics [edit ]

baseball club [edit ]

As of match played 25 September 2021

International [edit ]

As of match played 12 October 2021[55]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Northern Ireland 2010 1 0
2011 8 0
2012 4 0
2013 4 0
2014 2 0
2015 5 1
2016 8 1
2017 1 0
2018 8 0
2019 9 0
2020 7 0
2021 8 0
Total 65 2
Scores and results list Northern Ireland’s goal tally first.[55]

Honours [edit ]

Watford
Individual

References [edit ]