(9 (21 (22 Conor Michael McAleny (born 12 August 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or striker for EFL League Two club Salford City.
[2] He joined Everton as an 11-year-old and made his debut for the club's youth team in a 1–0 Premier Academy League win over Tottenham Hotspur on 25 August 2007, replacing Lewis Codling after 65 minutes.
McAleny broke into the reserve team during the 2009–10 season, making his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Manchester United on 6 October, replacing Jose Baxter after 61 minutes.
[8] His form for the youth and reserve teams saw him awarded his first call into the first-team squad for a dead rubber Europa League group match versus BATE Borisov on 17 December.
[12] McAleny made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute for Phil Neville in a 1–0 league defeat away to Arsenal on 10 December 2011, nearly scoring with a volley.
[10] After spending much of the first half of the 2013–14 season out with a broken leg,[15] McAleny received his first call into the first-team squad in over two years, when he was named as a substitute for an FA Cup fourth round tie versus Stevenage on 25 January 2014.
[10][22] On 25 July 2013, he joined League One side Brentford on loan until 6 January 2014,[23] linking up with former Everton teammates Adam Forshaw and Jake Bidwell.
[30] Tactically, Slade used him in at tip of the midfield diamond in a 4–4–2, allowing McAleny to impress with his quick feet, vision and ability to find a pass.
[44] In January 2017, in the final hours of the transfer window, Oxford United of League One announced that he had joined on loan until the end of the season.
[55] During his final two seasons at the club, he was deemed back-up to Ched Evans and Paddy Madden,[56] and with Fleetwood playing only one striker, found game time hard to come by, but scored his first FA Cup goal when he came off the bench in a 2–1 defeat to Portsmouth.
[59] He scored Kilmarnock's opening goal at Ibrox Stadium in their 1–1 with Rangers, securing the club's place in the top six for a second consecutive season.
[60] Killie eventually finished third in the league, ensuring European football for the first time since 2001, though McAleny would return to Fleetwood at the end of the season.
[64] On 18 August 2020, McAleny joined League Two side Oldham Athletic on a free transfer signing a one-year contract for the 2020–21 season.
[66] With his contract close to expiring, Oldham held talks with McAleny about a new deal amid interest from Ipswich Town, Bradford City, and Bristol Rovers.