Charlie Savage (footballer)

Charlie William Henry Savage (born 2 May 2003) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Reading and the Wales national team.

Early life
Savage was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, and was educated at Manchester Grammar School. He followed in the footsteps of his father, former Wales international footballer Robbie Savage, by joining the youth ranks of Manchester United.

Club career
Savage signed his first professional contract with Manchester United in April 2021. He made his first-team debut for United on 8 December 2021, replacing Juan Mata in the 89th minute of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League match against Young Boys, while his father, Robbie Savage, was co-commentating on the match for BT Sport. On 22 May 2022, Savage was named in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time, against Crystal Palace.

In January 2023, Savage joined Forest Green Rovers for the remainder of the 2022–23 season, making his debut for the club on 14 February 2023 in a home defeat to Charlton Athletic and scoring his first league goal in a 3–1 defeat by Bristol Rovers on 11 March 2023.

On 22 July 2023, Savage signed for Reading on a four-year contract. He scored his first goal for Reading in a 4–0 win over Millwall in the EFL Cup on 8 August 2023.

International career
Savage has represented Wales at under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels. He was called up to the under-19 team for a friendly tournament in Croatia in September 2021, and scored in a 3–2 defeat to Austria. In September 2022, Savage was called up to the Wales under-21 squad for the first time.

In October 2023, Savage received his first call-up to the Wales senior national team for a friendly match against Gibraltar and an UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia. He won his first cap for Wales in the former match, on 11 October, starting in a 4–0 win over Gibraltar.

Style of play
A central midfielder like his father, Savage is comfortable both defending and going forward. Despite the similarities, Savage has said that he does not see the likeness, stating that he is more of a technical, ball playing midfielder, rather than a tenacious player like his father was.

Honours
Individual


 * Forest Green Rovers Goal of the Season: 2022–23