Leslie Hofton was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 association footballer who played as a full-back for Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 in two spells in the 1910s. Born in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, Hofton began his career at Kiveton Park

Kiveton Park F.C.

Kiveton Park Football Club is a football club based in Kiveton Park, near Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.-History:The club was originally formed in 1892, although a Kiveton side has recently been found to have played in Sheffield football as early as 1880, as well as playing in the Sheffield...

, before moving to Glossop via Worksop Town

Worksop Town F.C.

Worksop Town Football Club are a semi-professional English football club from Worksop, Nottinghamshire who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division...

 and Denaby United

Denaby United F.C.

Denaby United F.C. are an English football club that originally folded in 2002 following eviction from their ground by the Denaby & Cadeby Miners' Welfare, but have since re-appeared in the Doncaster and District Senior League Division One for the 2011-12 season...

 in April 1908.

In July 1910, Hofton became Manchester United's first £1,000 signing, beating the previous club record of £700, which was spent on Alex Bell

Alex Bell

Alexander "Alex" Bell , also known as Sandy Bell, was a South African-born Scottish footballer who played at half-back.-Club career:...

 in 1903. However, despite his record price tag, it took Hofton seven months to make his United debut, appearing for the first time away to Newcastle United

Newcastle United F.C.

Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

 on 18 February 1911. He then left the club on a free transfer in May 1913. The First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 broke out just over a year later, but one year after its conclusion, in September 1919, Hofton re-signed for Manchester United. He continued to play for the club for two-and-a-half more years, amassing a total of 18 appearances for the club, before being sold to Denaby Main in February 1922.

External links

• Profile at MUFCinfo.com