From Runner Beans to Running Drills: Janina Leitzig Swaps Her Vegetable Patch for Manchester United's Goal

As England braces for what could be its fifth heatwave of 2026, Manchester United's newest signing Janina Leitzig has more on her mind than pre-season drills. The German goalkeeper, a self-confessed gardening enthusiast, took a moment to sympathise with the plight of the nation's struggling vegetable patches — including this reporter's wilting tomato plants. "You're not used to so little rain, are you?" she observed — a remark delivered with the calm assessment of a goalkeeper reading an incoming cross. For the time being, following her summer move to Manchester, the former Germany youth international finds herself without a garden of her own. But during her three-and-a-half-year spell at Leicester City, her homegrown vegetables were, by her own admission, her pride and joy. "I love to do some gardening. Back home, everyone has their own vegetables and it's just better, it tastes better," Leitzig told the Guardian. "Being away from home and away from family, of course you have your football friends, but still it can be quite lonely sometimes if you come home from training, so it was really nice to have a garden and to spend time outside. It's not too much effort, it's just a nice hobby." Her candid reflection offers a rare glimpse into the quieter side of a professional footballer's life — the long hours after training, far from family and home comforts, where a patch of runner beans can provide both purpose and peace of mind. It's a grounding routine that many elite athletes credit with protecting their mental wellbeing amid the demands of top-level sport. Now, with the new campaign approaching, Leitzig's attention has shifted, as the Guardian aptly puts it, from runner beans to running drills. The shot-stopper is preparing for her first season between the posts in Manchester United's colours, where supporters will hope her knack for cultivating things extends to clean sheets. The interview appears in Moving the Goalposts, the Guardian's free weekly email dedicated to women's football. The newsletter is published once a week on Wednesdays during the close season, returning to its twice-weekly Tuesday and Thursday schedule from September.