A former Manchester United and Northern Ireland star has been ordained a Catholic priest in the Dominican Order.

Philip Mulryne made five appearances for United back in the late 1990s after graduating from the club’s academy. He moved on to Norwich in 1999, where he played 135 times for the Canaries in a six-year spell and also won 27 caps for Northern Ireland. After short spells at Cardiff City and Leyton Orient, Mulryne officially retired from football in 2009.

So far, it sounds like a fairly typical footballer’s CV.

However, Mulryne didn’t move into coaching or punditry once his playing career was over. Instead, the one time Premier League footballer – who would have earned around £600,000 a year at one point – devoted himself to religious life.

He spent two years studying philosophy at Queens University Belfast and at the Maryvale Institute before going to the Pontifical Irish College, Rome, to study theology for one year at the Gregorian University.