Alan Mannus

Linfield

Mannus began his football career at Linfield at sixteen years old and rose up through the Linfield's junior ranks. At one point of his football career, he went on trial at Everton and Fulham but it was unsuccessful. Mannus was loaned out to Larne and made one appearance against Ards, in a 1–1 draw on 22 October 2000. He was then loaned out to Carrick Rangers, and made nine appearances for the side. In the 2001–02 season, Mannus appeared as an unused substitute in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League against Torpedo Kutaisi, as the club were eliminated from the tournament after losing 1–0 aggregate. On 24 October 2001, he made his debut for Linfield, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win against Bangor. Following this, Mannus made his first senior squad appearance, becoming the club's first choice goalkeeper. He helped Linfield earn a place in the UEFA Cup after the club beat Omagh Town 3–2 on 28 April 2002. Mannus helped the club win the Irish Cup after beating Portadown win 2–1. After the match, he said: "This time last year I wasn't sure I would be kept on for this season, a month ago I was playing in the Swifts and now I've got an Irish Cup winners medal, it is unbelievable, a really brilliant feeling. I played two games last season and seven this season so it is a bit of a fairy tale for me." A few days later, Mannus helped Linfield Swifts win the Belfast Telegraph Intermediate Cup final to beat Donegal Celtic 1–0 to earn himself a…

In January 2023, Mannus was appointed as a goalkeeping coach educator for the Irish Football Association. On 14 August 2024, he returned to Linfield as their new goalkeeping coach. On 6 January 2025, Mannus was appointed as a goalkeeping coach for Larne, succeeding his former teammate, Alan Blayney.

Mannus was eligible to play for Canada (his birthplace) and Northern Ireland (his Northern Irish parents). Mannus represented Northern Ireland at various age levels. He helped Northern Ireland under–18 team win the Centenary Shield. In a December 2015 interview, Mannus revealed that prior to becoming cap tied to Northern Ireland no one from the Canadian FA had ever been in touch with him regarding representing Canada. Having previously been called up to the Northern Ireland U21 in 2003, Mannus was called up to the Northern Ireland U23 squad in April 2004. He made his debut for the under–23, in a 0–0 draw against Serbia and Montenegro U23 on 28 April 2004. On 2 June 2004, Mannus was called up to the senior team as a last-minute replacement in the squad for the injured Michael Ingham. He won his first Northern Ireland cap against Trinidad and Tobago four days later on 6 June 2004. Following this, Mannus was called up the Northern Ireland's squad on two occasions throughout 2007, but did not play. He returned to the starting line–up for Northern Ireland for the first time in four years, in a friendly match against Bulgaria on 8 February 2008, coming on as a second–half substitute, as the national side lose 1–0. A month later, on 25 March 2008, Mannus made another appearance for Northern Ireland, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Maik Taylor, in a 4–1 win in another friendly match against Georgia. He had to wait for another year on 6 June 2009 to make another appearance…

Born in Mississauga, Ontario, Mannus lived in Canada until his parents moved back to Northern Ireland, where he was raised in Carryduff in the north of County Down. His brothers live in Northern Ireland. Ian played mostly with Sirocco Works and Toby plays rugby, most notably for Belfast based Cooke Rugby Club. But his brother, Paul, have since moved back to Canada. Prior to getting a professional contract, Mannus worked as a fitness instructor. Both Alan and Ian played against each other in a 3–3 draw between Linfield and Glentoran on 1 March 2006. Growing up, Mannus was a boyhood Rangers supporters and first played against the Gers, in a 3–0 loss on 30 July 2003, which he said it was a great experience. Mannus also attended Dunmurry High School. During his time at Linfield, Mannus earned a nickname, Job, due to his patience. As a teenager, he took up mixed-martial arts but stopped it in order to concentrate on football and would have taken it up as a career if his football career didn't go full time. In the summer of 2015, Mannus married his long–term partner, Leanne. Together, they have two children. Mannus revealed that he has an engineering degree from Queen's University and planned on getting a coaching license once his playing career comes to an end. The Irish Independent described Mannus as a " Northern Irish Protestant who identifies as British."