Michael Tonge

Sheffield United

Born in Manchester, Tonge was signed as a youth team player by Sheffield United manager Steve Bruce when he was released by Manchester United. He made his first-team debut as a 68th-minute substitute for Darren Bullock in a 1–0 defeat to Wimbledon at Bramall Lane. He made his first senior start in the last game of the 2000–01 season, a 1–1 draw away at Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first competitive goal for the "Blades" in a 1–0 home victory over Crewe Alexandra on 27 October 2001. He went on to establish himself in the first-team under manager Neil Warnock, scoring three goals in 32 appearances throughout the 2001–02 season. On 8 January 2003, he scored both of United's goals in a 2–1 win over Liverpool in the first leg of the semi-final of the League Cup. United also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 1–0 to Arsenal at Old Trafford. United finished third in the First Division, and reached the play-off final, where they again faced disappointment with a 3–0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Millennium Stadium. Having scored eight goals in 58 appearances, Tonge was named on the First Division PFA Team of the Year in 2002–03, alongside midfield teammate Michael Brown. Tonge scored four goals in 51 games across the 2003–04 campaign as United posted an eighth-place finish, two points outside the play-offs. He then scored three goals in 41 games in the 2004–05 season, as the club again finished in eighth place, this time six points…

Under-20s

Tonge earned his first cap for the England U20 national side in November 2002 when he featured in the Under-20 Four Nations Tournament. On 27 November, Tonge started the 5–3 defeat against Italy at the Stadium of Light, he played 68-minutes before being replaced by Jerome Thomas. The following month Tonge played in the 2–0 defeat against Switzerland, he replaced Darren Carter just after half-time at Upton Park. England finished third place in the tournament.

Under-21s

On 5 September 2003, Tonge made his debut for the England U21s when he started the 1–1 draw with Macedonia during qualifying for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He played 73-minutes at the Čair Stadium in Skopje before being replaced by Jermain Defoe. Four days later, Tonge was an unused substitute as England lost 2–1 against Portugal and were eliminated from the tournament. His last cap came in March 2004 when he started the 2–2 draw with Sweden in Kristianstad.

Tonge was appointed as a coach at the Huddersfield Town Academy in November 2020.

Tonge was robbed at knife-point in September 2009, alongside fellow footballers Grant Smith, Steven Spencer and Phil Jagielka at Jagielka's Cheshire mansion.