Hull star spent just one week as a Man United player and won a trophy in an amazing story!
Hull City’s Oli McBurnie had a brief but memorable time as a Manchester United player back in 2013. He spent just one week with the Red Devils, during which he helped lift the Milk Cup and even won the tournament’s Golden Boot. But how did that come about?
Hull City is back in the Premier League! They face Michael Carrick’s Manchester United today in the opening game of the 2026-27 season, shown live on TNT Sports.
Last season, Sergej Jakirovic’s Hull City team surprised many by earning promotion to the Premier League, clinching their spot with a dramatic play-off win. The hero of that game was McBurnie, who scored a last-minute goal in the final against Middlesbrough to seal Hull’s promotion.
Now 30, McBurnie is entering his sixth season in the English top flight. He previously played three seasons with Sheffield United and two with Swansea City. In the 2023-24 Premier League season, he had nine goal contributions in 21 games. As fans get ready for today’s match against Manchester United, many are remembering his short spell at Old Trafford as a teenager during a striker emergency.
While still playing for Bradford, the young McBurnie was called up to join Manchester United’s Under-18s for the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland. He joined the team just a few days before the tournament started. Some of his teammates were notable players like Andreas Pereira, Scott McTominay, and Marcus Rashford.
He also got to train with the first team at Carrington, where he saw stars like Wayne Rooney, Nani, and Antonio Valencia. “I was nervous… but I loved every minute,” McBurnie said. He helped the team win the Milk Cup and was the tournament’s top scorer with five goals in five games.
Interestingly, McBurnie showed his knack for scoring important late goals even back then. He netted a last-minute winner in the Milk Cup final, just like his clutch goal in last season’s play-off final.
After returning to Bradford, he felt a boost in confidence that kicked off a successful career beyond Manchester United. McBurnie has now scored 13 Premier League goals and hopes to add more after his impressive 18 goals in the Championship last season.
Whether he can score against his old club today—he’s already done it once back in 2023—is anyone’s guess. But Red Devils fans might want to cut him some slack and celebrate his brilliant brief Milk Cup run from 2013 in good spirit!