Who is George Broadbent?
Joining the competitive world of academy football at a young age, George Broadbent’s early years at Curzon Ashton, where he played from five to ten, caught the attention of his hometown giants Manchester United.
His seven-year spell with United’s youth system not only provided a foundation in elite-level football, but also educated the required habits and standards expected at the top level. Though he would eventually be released, those formative years with some of the most elite youth coaches in world football gave Broadbent a clear insight into the kind of success he could one day achieve.
In July 2017, after leaving Manchester United at 16, Broadbent relocated to South Yorkshire to join Sheffield United’s academy. It was here that the midfielder really began to climb the ladder, impressing across both the U18 and U21 setups during a time when his parent club themselves were on the rise, securing promotion to the Premier League in 2017/18. Broadbent became a regular at academy level and was soon rewarded with his first professional contract.
Senior football soon followed, fittingly, back where it all started. Returning to Curzon Ashton on loan, Broadbent made five appearances in the National League North, scoring once and assisting twice. His calm, intelligent style of play began to spark wide attention.
Loan Spells
The next chapter was somewhat of an unconventional one. While most Premier League academy players take the route of their careers through lower-league English football, Broadbent ended up spending a short time abroad, joining Belgian first division club Beerschot on loan. Unfortunately, the move didn’t work out as hoped. With just two appearances under his belt, he returned to Sheffield United at 20, eager to get his development back on track.
And that he did. Two more loan spells followed, first with Rochdale in League Two, where he featured 21 times and showed clear promise, and then with Boreham Wood in the National League. It was at the latter where Broadbent began to really shine. Over 44 appearances in all competitions, he scored seven goals and became a key figure in midfield, and the Boreham Wood squad as a whole, commanding games, breaking lines, and showing the type of consistency that top managers notice.
Doncaster Rovers
That breakout year didn’t go unnoticed, as newly appointed Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann saw Broadbent as a project player with huge potential. Since day one, McCann has spoken highly of the midfielder, and after two full seasons working under him, it’s clear that the gaffer’s belief has been justified.
George Broadbent’s first year at Doncaster was one of steady progress. He wasn’t an instant starter, used more as a rotational option, but played an increasingly important role as the season progressed. He shared minutes with Tottenham loanee Matty Craig and was influential in Rovers’ incredible turnaround, going from 19th to 5th in the final two months of the season, winning 12 straight games, and losing just once in 18.
During that stretch, Broadbent began to stand out, not through goals or flashy moments, but by dictating tempo, making the right decisions, and keeping Doncaster’s midfield ticking.
The heartbreak of a penalty shootout defeat to Crewe Alexandra in the play-off semi-final may have been difficult to take, but it arguably sparked something in Broadbent. He returned the following season with intent and delivered his most complete campaign to date.
With 38 league appearances under his belt, Broadbent firmly established himself as a starter. His consistency earned him the No. 8 shirt that he had already been allocated and a stunning long-range goal at the Eco-Power Stadium was one of several moments where his quality was on full display. Averaging a 6.93 rating on FotMob, he became a vital cog in McCann’s system, operating in a role that better suited his strengths.
Where he once tried to replicate the box-to-box dynamism of someone like Harrison Biggins, George Broadbent found his niche deeper on the pitch, recycling possession, linking defence to attack, and controlling the flow of the game. His passing range also came to the forefront, completing at least three accurate long balls per game and frequently picking out attacking runs from players like Luke Molyneux and Jordan Gibson. He was also incredibly secure in possession, dispossessed just 0.28 times per game, or once every 289 minutes throughout the season..
Defensively, Broadbent’s development has been just as clear. He won 55% of his duels and 57% of his aerial battles, while also making 31 interceptions over the course of the 2024/25 season. In McCann’s high-pressing system, his understanding of positioning and awareness continued to grow, and it’s these off-ball traits that now separate him from many midfielders in his bracket.
His growth didn’t go unnoticed by the club. After lifting the League Two title in May, Broadbent was rewarded with a new long-term contract, a three-year deal with an optional fourth, part of a wider strategy by the club’s ownership to build continuity and maximise the value of rising talent. It’s clear that McCann and the club see George Broadbent not just as part of the present, but as a key figure in Doncaster’s future. A very valuable asset.
Last season also provided a glimpse of how Broadbent performs against top-level opposition. In cup competitions, he faced Premier League sides Everton and Crystal Palace. At Goodison Park, he came on with Rovers 2-0 down and helped steady the midfield, though a full-time result of 3-0 to Everton overshadowed his performance.
Later in the season, during the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, he started against Palace’s full-strength midfield, including the likes of Daichi Kamada and Will Hughes, and held his own in a calm, composed 70-minute display, despite the 2-0 loss. These kinds of games showed that Broadbent doesn’t shrink against higher-level opposition, if anything, he thrives on the challenge.
And now, he’s bringing that form into League One. Just two games into the new campaign, Broadbent has already made a statement. With an average FotMob rating of 7.7, he’s completed more passes than any player in the division so far (102), and more long balls (18). His passing accuracy stands at 87%, with a 72% success rate on long passes.
While he’s not known for agility or dribbling, he’s completed all three of his dribbles so far, and has been dispossessed on just one occasion. Defensively, he’s shown a noticeable step up, with 80% duel success rate, 14 recoveries, and six interceptions.
The only real improvement for Broadbent to make in his next step of development, includes his goalscoring capabilities. We saw his ability to do so during his loan spell in the national league, but since joining McCann’s Doncaster Rovers, this confidence when shooting from range seems to have unfortunately disappeared.
The midfielder absolutely still possesses this trait, as can be seen with his distanced finish against Cheltenham Town back in December, and in the Vertu Trophy. As we have seen with Owen Bailey’s astronomical improvement in goalscoring form since arriving at the club alongside George Broadbent, an improvement in goalscoring form could transform Broadbent into a real League One powerhouse, and beyond.
Tomorrow, Doncaster face Middlesbrough at the Riverside in the Carabao Cup, providing a fresh opportunity for Broadbent to test himself against Championship-level opposition. His last cup outing of note came in January, when Rovers knocked out Hull City on penalties, a match where Broadbent once again looked right at home in that style of football.
He may not grab headlines with stepovers or screamers every week, but George Broadbent is quietly building the framings of a serious career.
Intelligent, reliable, and steadily improving in every area of his game, he’s become one of the most well-rounded midfielders in the Doncaster squad, and surely, sooner rather than later, League One. And, unfortunately for the Doncaster fans, if his current upwards trajectory continues, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be at Doncaster for the full length of his contract. Sooner or later, someone higher up will come calling.
