Ryan Tunnicliffe's Manchester United debut wins his father £10,000

After betting £100 on his son when he was just nine, that he would play for the first team, Mick Tunnicliffe makes a 100/1 profit - with a 350/1 wager on an England bow waiting

The 19-year-old came on to replace fellow debutant Marnick Vermijl at Old Trafford, which was not only a personal highlight for the former Peterborough loanee, but a family highlight as his father’s 10-year-old 100/1 bet finally paid out.

Mick Tunnicliffe was so certain that his son would make it as a professional footballer he put a £100 bet on at bookmakers William Hill that his son would play a competitive first-team game for Manchester United.

The bet was looking good as Tunnicliffe progressed through United’s youth set-up, even captaining the academy to a FA Youth Cup triumph two years ago.

With £10,000 already in his pocket, Mick Tunnicliffe will be hoping his son eventually makes an England debut as he put on another £100 bet at the same time but with odds of 350/1 which, if successful, would pay out a further £35,000.

“The last time a bet of this nature cost us £10,000 was when Chris Kirkland made his debut in goal for England, also landing a £100 bet for his father,” said William Hill's media relations manager, Graham Sharpe.

“We will obviously be paying close attention to the progress of Ryan’s career in the future.”