Former Premier League striker with one of best ever goal records drops into non-league as he signs for 12th club
ADAM LE FONDRE has dropped into the non-league as he signed for the 12th club of his career.
The former Premier League striker has signed for FC United of Manchester after agreeing on a contract.
Le Fondre, 37, had been training with the club following his exit from Scottish side Hibernian.
It is the first time in his career he will not be playing as a full professional.
He admitted that one of the reasons he joined the Northern Premier League club was that close friend Charlie Ennis was the captain.
However he also revealed that he did have conversations with league clubs before making his final decision.
He told FCUM: “As I was sort of speaking to clubs, a couple of league and a couple of non-league, nothing really spoke out to me you know project wise and stuff.
“One of my best friends here is the captain Charlie Ennis so for me it was one of the main reasons was so I can play with him.
“It’s something we’ve not been able to do.
“This has given me the opportunity now to play non-league.
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“FC United of Manchester are a historic club now even with a short history.
“A lot of people know about them and the noise they have made since they have been around. I’m proud to be here.”
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Le Fondre has played for 11 different clubs since starting his professional career with Stockport in 2004.
During his 20-year career, he worked his way up to the Premier League with Reading.
In his sole season in the top flight, he scored 12 goals in 19 appearances for the Royals in the 2012/13 season.
He managed to find the target against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
His goals came in just 1,494 minutes of Premier League action.
As a result, Le Fondre has a ratio of 124.5 minutes-per-goal in the Premier League.
His record is one of the best for the number of minutes played, with Sergio Aguero just ahead of him with 107.98 minutes-per-goal.
The Manchester City legend’s 184 league goals came in 19,869 minutes.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has scored 63 times in 5,335 minutes for City at a rate of one every 84.68 minutes.
Thierry Henry managed 175 goals in the Premier League, with one coming every 122 minutes.
Away from the Royals, Le Fondre has also enjoyed permanent spells with Rochdale, Rotherham, Cardiff and Bolton in the EFL.
The last six years have even seen him play for clubs in Australia and India since his last stint in England.
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