Donald Alistair Love is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for League One side Shrewsbury Town. He began his professional career with Manchester United, but made just two senior appearances, and after a loan spell with Wigan Athletic in 2015, he was sold to Sunderland at the end of the 2015–16 season. Three years into a four-year contract, he was released by the club and joined Shrewsbury Town. Despite being born in England, Love represents Scotland at international level, having played for the under-17, under-19 and under-21 national teams.
Club career
Manchester United
Love, who was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, joined the Manchester United academy at the age of seven from local team Northwich Town. After rising through the ranks, he first signed a professional contract with Manchester United in 2013. On 2 October 2015, he was loaned to Wigan Athletic for two months. Love made his professional debut the following day, appearing as a 70th-minute substitute for Will Grigg in a goalless League One draw with Walsall at the DW Stadium. Love totalled eight appearances for the Latics. After returning from his loan spell, Love made his Manchester United debut in a 2–1 defeat against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 13 February 2016, coming on as a first-half substitute for the injured Matteo Darmian. Five days later, he made his first start in an injury-stricken United team, a 2–1 loss away to Midtjylland in the first leg of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa Leagueround of 32, and was booked for a challenge on Martin Pušić that caused the Austrian to be substituted.
Sunderland
On 11 August 2016, Love joined Premier League club Sunderland on a four-year deal. He joined with his Manchester United teammate Paddy McNair, for a combined fee of £5.5 million. He made his debut two days later, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 loss at Manchester City, and scored his first goal for Sunderland in an EFL Cup tie against Carlisle United on 22 August 2017. In August 2018, Love sustained an injury to his ankle which, after attempting to continue playing for another three matches, kept him out of first-team action for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. After three years, a year before the end of his contract, Love was released by Sunderland in July 2019.
Shrewsbury Town
Following his release from Sunderland, on 12 July 2019, Love signed for fellow League One side Shrewsbury Town on a two-year deal. He made his debut on 3 August, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 home win over Portsmouth. On 13 November, after coming on in the 67th minute for Louis Thompson in a 3–1 win over Macclesfield Town in the EFL Trophygroup stage, he was sent off. On 26 January 2020 in the fourth round of the FA Cup at home to Liverpool, Love drove Neco Williams' cross into his own net in the first minute of the second half to give the European and world champions a 2–0 lead, though Shrewsbury drew the match 2–2 to earn a replay.
International career
Love was born in Rochdale, England but qualifies for the Scotland national team through his Stranraer-born grandmother. He has represented Scotland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.
