Layla Marie Drury (born 12 June 2009) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Manchester United. Born in Wales, she plays for the England under-20 national team.
In January 2026, she became the youngest player and goalscorer in Manchester United's history, surpassing records previously held by Lauren James.
Early life Drury was born in Wrexham, Wales.
Youth career Drury joined the Manchester United academy in November 2024. After just over a year of training with the under-16 and under-21 squads, she was promoted to the senior team by head coach Marc Skinner in December 2025.
Club career
Manchester United, 2025– Drury made her senior professional debut in a Women's FA Cup fourth round match against Burnley on 18 January 2026. Entering as a 66th-minute substitute, she scored the final goal in a 5–0 victory. At 16 years and 220 days old, she became the youngest player to represent Manchester United Women and the club's youngest-ever goalscorer across all senior competitive formats. She made her Women's Super League debut on 25 January 2026, in a 4–1 win against Aston Villa.
On 3 July 2026, Manchester United announced that Drury had signed her first professional contract with the side, keeping the forward at the club until 2029.
International career Drury is a dual-national, eligible to represent both Wales and England. She began her international career with Wales and represented them up to under-17 level. She joined the Wales under-19 squad as a training player in October 2025.
On 18 February 2026, Drury was called up to the England under-20 squad for a series of international friendlies in Spain. On 19 February 2026, her request to switch allegiance to England was approved by FIFA. She made her debut on 28 February 2026 as a substitute in an international friendly against Spain in Alicante, and later made her first start in a win against the Netherlands. In April 2026, she was called up to England's under-19 squad for 2026 Under-19 Euro qualification matches.
Style of play The tallest player in Manchester United Women's squad, head coach Marc Skinner has highlighted Drury's "speed of thought", "speed of movement" and "the way she invades [space]".
References
External links
Layla Drury at Manchester United