Stockport County have signed Ethan Ennis from Manchester United on an undisclosed fee and a three-year deal. The move turns an initial loan availability into a permanent signing, with Stockport's recruitment team framing it as a real coup after Ennis' spell at Fleetwood Town.
Stockport's recruitment gamble
Jonathan Smith, Stockport County head of recruitment, said the club first spoke to Ennis as a loan option before making the deal permanent. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "Ethan was initially made available to us on a loan basis so to be able to turn that into a permanent deal feels like a real coup for the club".
That is a decent outcome for Stockport, because it gives them a 21-year-old forward with a proper league loan behind him rather than a player they are trying to guess about. Ennis scored three times in 39 League Two appearances for Fleetwood Town last season.
What the move means for Stockport
Stockport won three of their last five matches, so they are bringing Ennis into a side with some recent momentum. The likely debut chatter is there because Blackpool have two wins in their last five, but the club have only said he could make his debut, not that he will.
For United, the move trims another young forward from the picture of players moving out to find a senior route. Their own recent form has included three wins in five, but that is background here, not the story. The story is that Stockport have taken a player they initially approached on loan and turned him into a permanent signing on a three-year deal.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
