We’ve picked out ten pieces of information to help you get to know a little bit more about our third new signing of the summer, George Taft.
- Born in Leicester, Taft is a lifelong Leicester City fan and former Season Ticket holder. He also came through the academy ranks to sign a professional contract with The Foxes in March 2011 but never made a senior appearance for the club.
- Taft’s first loan spell away from Leicester was with Kettering. He spent the first couple of months of the 2011/12 season with the non-league side and made his debut for them in a 1-0 defeat at Stockport County. Stuart Holden’s brother Euan played for County against Taft that afternoon.
- Manager of Leicester City when Taft signed his first professional contract, Sven-Goran Eriksson said the following when Taft and other young professionals signed their first senior terms with the football club: ‘This is great news. They are very talented young footballers and we have the belief that they will progress.’
- The defender was called up into the England national team at youth level during his time at Leicester, and made his debut for the Under-18s against Poland in November 2010. In his only appearance for that age group, he managed to get himself on the scoresheet.
- Taft was named in the England squad for the Under-20s World Cup in Colombia in 2011, but didn’t make an appearance. The Three Lions only managed to get to the Round of 16 before an exit at the hands of Nigeria. Former Wanderers Jason Lowe and Reece Wabara were also included in the squad. The squad of eventual winners Brazil included the likes of, Philippe Coutinho, Oscar and Casemiro.
- His next loan spell away from Leicester was with York City who were playing in League Two at the time (2013/14). He played just three times for The Minstermen before a return to his parent club. Come the end of the campaign he was on his way out at Leicester and signed for Burton Albion shortly afterwards.
- Taft’s first season at Burton could not have gone much better. Playing pretty regularly for Albion, he made 34 appearances as The Brewers stormed to the League Two title but had to overcome the loss of Gary Rowett who departed partway through the season to Birmingham City, to be replaced by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
- Six career goals to date for Taft. His first came in Burton’s promotion season of 2014/15 and it proved to be the winning goal in a 1-0 home victory against Shrewsbury Town at the Pirelli Stadium. His most recent goal came last season in a 4-0 home victory against Exeter City.
- Spending the first part of the 2015/16 season on loan at Cambridge United, he left Burton at the end of the season and completed a permanent switch to Mansfield Town. Unfortunately he made just 15 appearances during his time under contract at Field Mill and after spending most of the 2017/18 season back at Cambridge, a permanent switch to The Us seemed inevitable.
- A strong central defender with a cultured left foot and an impressive tendency to bring the ball out from the back, Taft has played 71 times in the last two seasons for Cambridge United and during that time has also got himself on the scoresheet on three occasions.