Matthew Joseph Virtue-Thick[3] (born 2 May 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two side Fleetwood Town. He has previously played for Liverpool and Notts County.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Joseph Virtue-Thick[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 May 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Epsom, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fleetwood Town | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2006 | Chelsea | ||
| 2008–2017 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Notts County (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2019–2024 | Blackpool | 84 | (7) |
| 2022–2023 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 30 | (3) |
| 2024– | Fleetwood Town | 14 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:38, 12 November 2024 (UTC) | |||
Career
editVirtue joined Liverpool at under-11 level, having played with Chelsea until the age of 9.[4] He moved on loan to Notts County in January 2018.[5]
He was named captain of Liverpool's Under-23 team in October 2018.[6] In January 2019, he signed for Blackpool.[7] He scored his first professional goal against Accrington Stanley on 5 March 2019.[8]
On 16 October 2020, Virtue signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool.[9] In December 2020 he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to self-isolate, missing matches.[10] In October 2021 he extended his contract for a further year.[11]
He moved on loan to Lincoln City on 1 September 2022.[12] He made his debut coming off the bench against Cambridge United on 3 September 2022.[13] He scored his first goal for Lincoln City against Bristol Rovers in a 6–3 win on 17 September 2022.[14] After a period injured, he returned to the Lincoln first-team.[15]
Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, Blackpool confirmed that Virtue would be departing the club upon the expiration of his contract.[16]
Virtue signed for Fleetwood Town on 1 July 2024.[17]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 12 November 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2017–18[18] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018–19[8] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Notts County (loan) | 2017–18[18] | League Two | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Blackpool | 2018–19[8] | League One | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
| 2019–20[19] | League One | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 31 | 3 | |
| 2020–21[20] | League One | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 2021–22[21] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022–23[22] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[23] | League One | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 1 | |
| Total | 84 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 104 | 9 | ||
| Lincoln City (loan) | 2022–23[22] | League One | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 4 |
| Fleetwood Town | 2024–25[24] | League Two | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 |
| Career total | 141 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 175 | 16 | ||
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
References
edit- ^ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Matty Virtue". Lincoln City F.C. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Liverpool release seven players as they submit retained squad list to Premier League" – Liverpool Echo, 9 June 2017
- ^ "Profile". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Matty Virtue: Liverpool midfielder joins Notts County". BBC Sport. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Gini's delight, Shaq eyes glory, and Juve want Origi – Monday's Liverpool FC News Roundup". This Is Anfield. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ "Blackpool: Matty Virtue joins from Liverpool and Antony Evans on loan from Everton". BBC Sport. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ Match Preview: Crewe Alexandra (A) – Blackpool F.C., 16 October 2020
- ^ "Maxwell and Virtue Return Positive COVID-19 Tests". www.blackpoolfc.co.uk.
- ^ "Virtue Signs New Deal" – Blackpool F.C., 19 October 2021
- ^ "Virtue joins Lincoln on season loan from Blackpool". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Cambridge United 2 Imps 0" – via Lincoln City FC.
- ^ "Blackpool winger making waves on the South Coast with League One Portsmouth" – via Blackpool Gazette.
- ^ Allen, Sam (14 March 2023). "Matty Virtue on Lincoln City injury return as he weighs up long-term future". LincolnshireLive.
- ^ "Retained List Confirmed". www.blackpoolfc.co.uk. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Matty Virtue: Blackpool midfielder joins Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
 | This biographical article related to association football in England, about a midfielder born in the 1990s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |