Chris Eagles

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Christopher Eagles (born November 19, 1985 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire) is an English football player whose most favoured position is as an attacking right-sided midfielder. He is currently on loan to Dutch club NEC Nijmegen from Manchester United.

Originally coming through the youth system at Watford, he left when he was 16 to join the Manchester United academy. The compensation owed to Watford for this move would later form part of the package which took Danny Webber in the opposite direction.

Eagles made his first appearance with United on October 28, 2003 against Leeds United, and was loaned to Watford on January 21, 2005, for whom he made 13 appearances and scored one goal (against Gillingham). He was also loaned to Sheffield Wednesday for the first half of the 2005-06 season. He scored his first goal for Sheffield Wednesday in their derby match against Leeds. He ended the first half of the season with a total of 3 goals for Wednesday.

On January 6, 2006, Eagles was again loaned to Watford, making his first appearance against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup, with the Hornets going down 3-0. But in his first league appearance for Watford against Stoke, he scored the only and winning goal for Watford. His winning goal in the 1-0 away win at Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. on February 18 from 50 yards (almost the halfway line) - reminiscent of David Beckham's goal for Manchester United vs Wimbledon a decade earlier - won him the club's goal of the season award.

Despite an obvious shortage in central midfielders at the club, on Thursday 31st August, the day after fellow United team mate Giuseppe Rossi agreed to go out on loan to Newcastle United, Eagles agreed to spend four months on loan at Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegen, in order to gain more experience. The loan hints that Eagles has a a long term future as a United player, since he, Kieran Richardson and Phil Bardsley (on loan at Rangers) are the only players that remain from the 2003 FA Youth Cup triumph.