Esme Morgan pens emotional letter to fans as Man City confirm exit

Manchester City have confirmed the exit of highly-rated England defender and lifelong City fan Esme Morgan.

The 23-year-old had been at the club since under-15s level and progressed through the ranks, making her senior debut at just 16 years of age. In total, Morgan made 87 appearances across all competitions for the club and won both the FA Cup and the Continental Tyres League Cup in that time.

City and Morgan are yet to confirm her next move, but the defender’s exit is subject to international clearance and a work permit, indicating she is also set to leave the Women’s Super League to continue her career abroad.

Despite Morgan’s growing prominence at senior level for England, her playing time at City this season was limited. The defender played just nine league games under Gareth Taylor in the 2023/24 campaign, totalling just over 530 minutes of action.

In an emotional letter to the club and fans, Morgan outlined her gratitude for being able to represent the club she grew up supporting, but outlined the need to push herself outside of her comfort zone.

Esme Morgan in action for Manchester City / Jan Kruger/GettyImages

“For nine years I’ve been lucky to live a dream and have the honour of playing for my club,” she wrote. “I’m incredibly thankful for the support of everyone at Man City throughout my journey from the academy to first team, continually opening doors for me to develop as a player and as a person, and always with the right timing.

“Thank you… to all my coaches through the years for your belief in me and knowledge shared, for guiding my first steps into senior football and laying strong foundations for the player I already am, and can become.

“To my teammates, you are the most wonderful people. Thank you for all the laughs and memories, the bond is so special, we’ll be family for life. I’ll be kicking every ball with you from a distance so please try to keep nervy moments to a minimum for the sake of my heart!

“To our fans, the heart of the club, a short paragraph can’t do justice to how proud it’s made me feel to represent you. I want to reach my potential and be one of the world’s best and l’ve felt for a while that the best thing for my career, to develop and improve my game, is to experience a new challenge, out of the comfort of my home.”