James Brophy leaves Cambridge United after 259 appearances

james brophy will leave Cambridge United when his contract ends after five seasons and 259 appearances. The club included him in its retained list after the conclusion of the 2025/26 season. He departs as one of eight players set to go.

Cambridge United retained list

Cambridge United said Brophy joined in 2021 after promotion to League One and went on to win its Player of the Season award in 2024/25. That gives his exit a clearer shape than a routine contract decision: he was not a fringe player but a regular presence across five seasons.

Mark Bonner, the club’s director of football, singled out Brophy and Michael Morrison in the retained list statement. “In particular, I want to thank Michael Morrison and James Brophy for their considerable contributions, having represented us over 500 times between them.”

Michael Morrison departure

Morrison will also leave at the end of his contract. He made 247 appearances for Cambridge United, returned in 2023 after first leaving the club 15 years earlier, and was appointed club captain later that summer.

He also helped lead Cambridge United back to League One in the 2025/26 campaign and lifted the promotion trophy at Crewe. Alongside Brophy, his exit removes one of the club’s most experienced players from the squad as the retained list takes effect after the season’s end.

Eight players to depart

Cambridge United said Elias Kachunga will leave after 112 appearances across three seasons, while Korey Smith departs after 57 appearances over the past two years. Shayne Lavery leaves after scoring 12 goals in 49 appearances, and Shane McLoughlin and Ben Purrington will also go after joining last summer.

The club said Kylian Kouassi, Adam Mayor, Elliott Nevitt and Sean Raggett will return to their parent clubs, while academy scholars Dempsey Crace, Blade Earley, Jahkyah Ebanks-Blake, Ryan Gray, Lennon King, Jahrel McKoy, Samuel Okolie and Zak Sowden-Fletcher will leave when their contracts end. For Brophy, the immediate change is simple: his five-season spell is over, and Cambridge United now moves into the next phase of its squad rebuild without one of its most used players.