Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently head coach of Charlton Athletic.

While there, he had brief loan spells at Wimbledon, Lincoln City and Grimsby Town, before securing a permanent transfer to Preston North End in 1997.

Following his retirement, he became a coach with West Brom, and served as their caretaker manager for one match after Roberto Di Matteo was placed on leave.

[5] A lifelong Manchester United fan,[6] Appleton progressed through the club's youth system before earning a professional contract in 1994.

In October 1996, Appleton made his Manchester United début in the 2–1 League Cup victory versus Swindon Town.

[9] He made his début in a 2–1 victory over Sheffield United, picking up a yellow card, and went on to play an important part in the Baggies' play-off chase, although they ultimately lost to Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals.

At the start of the 2001–02 season, Appleton was a regular in the first team, but on 19 November 2001, he tore posterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee, after an accidental training-ground collision with teammate Des Lyttle.

[10] With West Brom getting promoted to the Premier League, Appleton had to wait until February 2003 for his return to football, 28 minutes into a reserve-team match against former club Manchester United.

"[12] Appleton, who played his last first-team game of football in a single-goal victory at Birmingham City on 7 November 2001, made a total of 38 appearances for West Brom.

[22] He earned his first win as Blackpool manager on 1 December 2012, beating Peterborough 4–1 away from home, extending his unbeaten start to five games.

[3] On 19 March 2013, after poor results in the Championship, Appleton was relieved of his duties as manager of Blackburn Rovers, having won four of his fifteen games in charge.

[35] On 20 June 2017, Appleton was confirmed as the new assistant to manager Craig Shakespeare at Premier League club Leicester City, signing a three-year contract.

[43] On 23 September 2019, Appleton returned to management, after being appointed at recently promoted League One club Lincoln City on a four-year deal.

He signed a contract until June 2026, succeeding Neil Critchley, who left two weeks earlier to become assistant to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

[48] Appleton was sacked, seven months after his appointment, on 18 January 2023, after achieving one win in eleven games, leaving them 23rd in the Championship relegation zone.

[52] "I am relieved finally to have received judgment and to be able to put this chapter of my life behind me" In June 2005, Appleton announced that he was going to sue the surgeon who he believed had ended his career early.

[53] In June, West Bromwich Albion began a £1 million compensation claim against knee specialist Medhet Mohammed El-Safty, whom the club described as "negligent".

Appleton won his case,[56] and on 23 March 2007 he was awarded £1.5 million in damages – thought to be one of the biggest pay-outs to an English footballer[57] – as El-Safty had admitted he wrongly operated on him.