Grant Brebner

Grant Ian Brebner (born 6 December 1977) is a Scottish football coach and former player who was the head coach at Australian side Melbourne Victory.

Born in Edinburgh, Brebner joined Manchester United as a 16-year-old in 1994.

On leaving school in 1994, Brebner signed for Manchester United as an apprentice, playing in the FA Youth Cup winning side of 1995 and turning professional soon after.

''It is hard leaving home at 16, but if I had not accepted the offer to go to Manchester United I knew I would have regretted it for the rest of my career.

One of the best things about United is that there is no-one there who thinks they are a superstar''.

FourFourTwo magazine hailed him as the latest big talent to be produced by Manchester United's youth system.

After four years in United's youth and reserve teams, Brebner was loaned to Cambridge United, where he scored his first senior goal while making six appearances.

While at Manchester United, he broke into the Scotland under-21 team, making 17 appearances between 1997 and 1999; however, he was unable to find a place in the Manchester United first team and was loaned out to Cambridge United and Hibernian, before being sold to Reading for £300,000 in 1998.

He then returned to Hibernian on a permanent basis, and made more than 100 appearances in a five-year stint there that included a loan spell with Stockport County.

A further loan spell was spent back in Edinburgh at Hibernian (a team he grew up supporting), where Brebner suffered relegation at the end of the 1997–98 season.

Despite the club’s relegation, manager Alex McLeish praised his performance, due to "his composure and awareness in matches and has good attitude".

Brebner was then transferred permanently to Reading at the start of the 1998–99 season.

He was already 21 years old, but had never played a single first-team game for Manchester United.

During his time at Reading, he scored 10 goals in 41 league games.

He was also responsible for scoring the first ever goal at the Madejski Stadium, but he suffered from homesickness during his time at the club.

After just one season with Reading, Brebner returned to Hibernian on a permanent deal for a worth cost £400k and signing a five–year contract.

His first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came on 21 August 1999, in a 1–1 draw against St Johnstone.

He quickly became a first team regular for the club, playing in a midfield position.

Brebner’s first goal after signing for the club on a permanent basis came on 29 January 2000, in a 4–1 win against Dunfermline Athletic in the third round of the Scottish FA Cup.

In his first season back at Hibernian, he made thirty–three appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

Having been dropped in the first team at the start of the 2000–01 season, Brebner moved on loan again to Stockport County.

However, he suffered a cartilage injury that affected his time at Stockport County for two months and made six appearances for the side.

Upon returning to Hibernian, Brebner re–established himself in the Hibs first team, playing in the 2001 Scottish Cup Final and the UEFA Cup.

During the 2001–02 season, Brebner scored three times for Hibernian, as the season was an improvement for him.

Despite facing a tough start under the new management of Bobby Williamson, he continued to remain in the first team for the club.

Brebner went on to score seven goals in the 2002–03 season, including a hat-trick against future employers Dundee United in a Scottish Cup match on 25 January 2003.

In his final season at Hibernian, Brebner was latterly club captain at Hibs, and was a senior player in the side with young stars like Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown.

In the Edinburgh derby on 17 August 2003, he received a straight red card for a foul on Robert Sloan, in a 1–0 win.

The club appealed for Brebner’s red card to be overturned by the Scottish Football Association, which was successful after a review.

He scored two more goals for Hibernian, including a 2–1 win against Celtic on 18 November 2003.

In August 2004, he was transferred to Dundee United, before moving to Australia to play for Melbourne Victory.

After six years with Melbourne Victory, he joined Victorian Premier League side Moreland Zebras.

However in a Scottish Cup match against Rangers on 10 January 2004, Brebner suffered an injury in the 12th minutes, and was substituted, as the club lost 2–0.

After being sidelined for three months, he returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 win against Dundee on 1 May 2004.

By the time Brebner left Hibernian, he made four appearances for the club in the 2004–05 season.

Brebner was surprisingly transferred to Dundee United in August 2004, despite having just signed a three-year contract with Hibs.

He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against Inverness CT on 28 August 2004.

Brebner became a first team regular for Dundee United, playing in the central midfield position.

He then scored three goals for the club throughout the 2004–05 season, including a last minute winner against Hearts on 16 April 2005.

He returned to Melbourne Victory as an assistant coach in 2020, before assuming the position of manager later that year, where he served until being dismissed from the position in April 2021.