George Hirst

George David Eric Hirst (born 15 February 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Ipswich Town.

He is the son of former Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst.

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.

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 April 2018, Hirst was linked with a move to Manchester United after rejecting a long-term contract at Sheffield Wednesday.

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

In July 2018, Hirst was included in the squad for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

After just one season at OH Leuven, Hirst joined Leicester City in the summer of 2019.

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

Ipswich Town

England U20

Individual

On 19 July 2020 Hirst made his debut for Leicester, coming on in the 83rd minute in a 3–0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

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

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.

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

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

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.

In December 2023 he suffered a "significant" hamstring injury.