Gregory Richard Cunningham (born 31 January 1991) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left back for Preston North End, and the Republic of Ireland national team.
Club Career
Manchester City
Born in Galway, County Galway, Cunningham began his career with Cregmore FC. In 2004, he joined Mervue United before earning a contract in the Manchester City Academy. Cunningham made his first team debut for Manchester City as a 46th minute substitute in a 4–2 victory over Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup on 24 January 2010 where he played on the left side of the City defence.
Cunningham made his first Premier League appearance on 11 April 2010 against Birmingham City as a substitute for Adam Johnson in the final minutes of the game. He made his second Premier League appearance on 9 May 2010 against West Ham United as a substitute for Johnson, just two minutes of the final minutes of the game. On 26 August 2010, Cunningham made his European debut in Europa League Qualifiers Second Leg against Politehnica Timișoara, coming on as a 54th-minute substitute for Nigel de Jong in a 2–0 win. On 22 September 2010, he made his first start for the club and played 90 minutes in a 2–1 loss against West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup.
Leicester City (loan)
On 21 October 2010, Cunningham joined Championship side Leicester City on loan until January 2011. On 23 October 2010, he made his debut for the club in a 2–0 loss against Swansea City where he played the full 90 minutes. He became a regular left-back in the starting eleven and made 12 starts. On 1 January 2011, Cunningham fractured his tibia in a challenge with Hull City's Liam Rosenior. Rosenior was sent off and Cunningham had to be substituted in a 1–0 win for Leicester and he was ruled out of action for up to four months, which ended his loan spell at Leicester City. After the match, Sven-Goran Eriksson stated his injury was 'a complete accident' and said:
This page also has a version in other languages : Грег Каннингем (russian)