George Hirst (footballer)

George David Eric Hirst (born 15 February 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Ipswich Town. He is the son of former Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst.

Sheffield Wednesday
After coming through the academy, Hirst signed his first professional contract for Sheffield Wednesday in March 2016.

He made his first team debut against Cambridge United on 9 August 2016, in the EFL Cup in a 2–1 defeat. His league debut came on 10 December 2016 against Reading in a 2–1 defeat. In April 2018, Hirst was linked with a move to Manchester United after rejecting a long-term contract at Sheffield Wednesday.

OH Leuven
In June 2018, Hirst was signed by a second division Belgian team, Oud-Heverlee Leuven, led by former Sheffield Wednesday player Nigel Pearson.

Leicester City
After just one season at OH Leuven, Hirst joined Leicester City in the summer of 2019. On 19 July 2020 Hirst made his debut for Leicester, coming on in the 83rd minute in a 3–0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Rotherham United (loan)
On 16 September 2020, Hirst joined Rotherham United on a season-long loan deal.

Portsmouth (loan)
On 3 August 2021, Hirst joined League One side Portsmouth on loan for the 2021–22 season. He scored his first goal for the club on 9 November 2021 in an EFL Trophy tie against Crystal Palace U21s.

Blackburn Rovers (loan)
On 31 August 2022, Hirst joined Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan, with an option to buy.

Ipswich Town (loan)
On 8 January 2023, Hirst joined Ipswich Town on loan for the rest of the season.

Ipswich Town
On 13 July 2023, Hirst made his move to Ipswich Town permanent for a undisclosed fee, signing a four-year deal with the club. He scored his first ever Championship goal on his second debut for the club, netting against Sunderland on the opening day of the 2023–24 season.

Whilst playing against his former club, Leicester City, on the 26th December 2023, he suffered a "significant" hamstring injury which would put him out for a majority of the rest of the season. He returned for the final 3 games of the season, beginning with the 3-3 draw against Hull City on the 27th of April, starting the match and scoring the first goal of the game. He then started on the bench in the following game against Coventry City, before starting the final game of the season, a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town where Ipswich were promoted to the Premier League.

International career
Hirst made his debut for the England Under-17 national team during the Algarve Cup in February 2016 – in his second game for the team he scored twice against Germany in a 2–2 draw. He was subsequently called up to the squad for the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Azerbaijan. In the group stage Hirst scored against Denmark and started the Quarter-final defeat against Spain.

On 23 August 2016, Hirst was called up to the England U18's for the first time. In summer 2017, Hirst represented England Under 20s at the 2017 Toulon Tournament, scoring a hat-trick in a game against Cuba to take his 2016–17 tally to 40 goals in all competitions. Hirst started in the final against the Ivory Coast which England won on penalties and was subsequently named in the team of the tournament.

On 1 September 2017, Hirst scored his second hat-trick of the Summer in a victory against Poland, for England Under-19. In July 2018, Hirst was included in the squad for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

In May 2019, Hirst was included in the England U20 squad for the 2019 Toulon Tournament.

In July 2024, it was reported he was considering changing his international allegiance to Scotland. He would be eligible to play for Scotland via his grandfather.

Honours
Ipswich Town
 * EFL League One runner-up: 2022–23
 * EFL Championship runner-up: 2023–24

England U20
 * Toulon Tournament: 2017

Individual
 * Toulon Tournament Team of the Tournament: 2017