Conor McManus

Conor McManus made his first appearance for Gillingham in the EFL Cup against Luton Town in August 2026, weeks after leaving Brentford, where he had spent more than three years without playing a competitive senior game.

His route into the professional game began at Cabinteely, which he joined at the age of four. When the club merged with Bray Wanderers, he moved into the Bray academy in 2021 and made his senior debut the following year, playing 16 times for the first team.

Brentford agreed a pre-contract with him in December 2022, and he joined their B team permanently on 1 January 2023. He played 30 matches for the B team in 2024/25 and 25 in 2025/26. The nearest he came to the first team was in March 2026, when he was named among the substitutes for a Premier League match against Leeds United. He did not get on. Gillingham signed him that August.

His international career has moved faster than his club one. McManus made his Republic of Ireland Under-21 debut in March 2025 against Hungary and scored twice in a 3–1 win. By mid-2026 he had won about six caps and scored two goals at that level. He captained the side on at least one occasion, in March 2026. He has also been part of the squad for the qualifiers for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

At Gillingham he is a left-back. League Two gives him the chance to add regular senior minutes to a record built up in youth and reserve football.