First Salford player speaks out about brutal 17-player exit after David Beckham and Gary Neville wield the axe at
Salford City.
17 players have to leave after the League Two season ended.
A Salford City player has become the first to react after he was among 17 players released by the club owned by David Beckham and Gary Neville.
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The Ammies finished eighth in League Two under Karl Robinson, and painfully missed out on a play-off spot by one point after drawing 2-2 with already relegated Carlisle United on the final day of the season.
A day after the last game and the club announced a mass exodus of players while confirming their retained and released list. In an official statement on the club’s website, Salford revealed that they triggered options to extend the contracts of Ossama Ashley, Haji Mnoga and and Luke Garbutt and also offered new terms to Jamie Jones, Curtis Tilt, Tosin Olopade, Hakeeb Adelakun, Alfie Henderson, Jai Curran-Nicholls and Jacob Lara.
However, the club has moved a number of players on – including Matthew Lund, Conor McAleny and Liam Shephard will leave the Peninsula Stadium, along with Ryan Watson.
The club said: “All four have made crucial contributions and been involved in some key moments during their time in M7, including reaching the playoffs in 2022-23, and advancing to the next phase of their careers with our very best wishes and gratitude for their efforts and professionalism throughout their respective stays.”
Lund joined Salford from nearby Rochdale in 2021 and made 143 appearances, scoring 24 goals.
The Northern Ireland international moved into a player-coach role in October 2024, but is now searching for a new club.
Lund on social media: “@SalfordCityFC it’s been a pleasure! Loved my 4 years in the club. Thank you to all the players, staff and fans.”
Salford also parted ways with a number of academy players, with Liam Humbles, Ben Collins, Aiden Lancaster, Eze Bowen, Matty Cucos, Jacob Hamman, Kamoy McNair, Jon Taylor, James Carr, Callum Morton, Jez Davies, Marcus Dackers and Sandro Da Costa.
“Thank you to all those who are leaving the club for their efforts, and good luck in their future careers,” the club stated.
Last week, it was confirmed that Neville and Beckham had bought out the rest of the Class of 92 as part of a new consortium containing nine shareholders with a total stake of 80%.
Having been heavily involved with the club, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville are no longer shareholders but will continue to be involved in other areas.
The move came after Neville bought a 50% stake co-owner Peter Lim had in Salford last summer.
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