Manchester City Born in
Sale, Greater Manchester, Leigh joined
Manchester City Academy in 2004 at age nine, after he was spotted by scouts whilst playing for Sale United. Initially, he joined the club as a striker before converting into a left–back position and progressed through the youth ranks for the side. He was nominated for the 2012–13 Academy player of the season award. Leigh was included in Manchester City's squad for the 2014–15 pre-season friendly tour and appeared in several friendly matches. On 12 August 2014, it was announced that Leigh would join
League One club
Crewe Alexandra on loan, initially until January 2015, later extended to the end of the 2014–2015 season. Leigh made his professional debut in the
League Cup against
Barnsley on 12 August 2014; he started the match but was substituted by
Jon Guthrie in the 62nd minute. He scored his first league goal, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over
Scunthorpe on 7 March 2015. This goal was voted the goal of the season for
Crewe Alexandra by fans. After his loan spell at Crewe Alexandra ended, having made forty-two appearances in all competitions, Leigh was released by Manchester City. Crewe manager
Steve Davis was keen to sign him on a permanent basis, but Leigh turned down the offer of a deal.
Bradford City After Crewe Alexandra's attempts to sign him failed, Leigh went on trial at
Bradford City. Following a successful trial, he signed a one-year deal on 6 August 2015. Leigh struggled to secure a first-team place and spent most of the season as an unused substitute. He got his first-team breakthrough when his fellow team-mate
James Meredith was absent because of international commitments, After continuously spending time on the substitutes' bench, Leigh made his league debut for the club on 14 November 2015 against his former club, Crewe Alexandra, following Meredith's absence and Bradford City won 2–0. He then scored his first Bradford City goal five days later in an
FA Cup first round replay, in a 2–0 win over
Aldershot Town. Three days later on 21 November 2015, Leigh scored his first league goal for the club, in a 2–0 win over
Scunthorpe United. Following Merderith's return to the first team, Leigh lost his first-team place once again and only made a total of six league appearances for the club.
Bury Despite being offered a new contract by Bradford City, Leigh opted to move to
Bury on 1 July 2016, signing a two-year contract and joining his team-mate
Ben Williams. Upon joining the club, Leigh was given the number 3 shirt ahead of the new season. Leigh made his Bury debut in the opening game of the season, playing in the left-back position for 90 minutes, in a 2–0 win over
Charlton Athletic. He quickly established himself in the left–back position in the starting eleven. He played in a 5–3–2 formation under the management of
Lee Clark. He started in every match until he was sent off for a second bookable offence, in a 1–0 defeat against
Sheffield United on 22 November 2016. After serving a one-match suspension, he returned to the first team, regaining his place for a 4–2 loss against
Bristol Rovers on 10 December 2016. In a match against Oxford United on 17 December 2016, he scored an own goal, in a 3–2 loss. It wasn't until 14 March 2017 that Leigh scored his first goal for the club, as well as setting up two goals including a penalty, in a 3–0 win over Bristol Rovers. At the end of the 2016–17 season, having made 51 appearances and scoring once in all competitions, Leigh was named the disabled supporters' player of the year after a strong season at Bury. At the start of the 2017–18 season, Leigh continued to establish himself in the starting eleven, regaining his place in the left-back position. Despite the club's poor results, which resulted in Clark's sacking, Leigh remained a standout for the side throughout the season. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over
Stoke City U23 on 8 November 2017. Then, on 21 November 2017, Leigh scored again, in a 1–0 win over
Shrewsbury Town. Despite suffering from an injury he returned to the first team, as Bury were relegated from League One after finishing in 24th place at the end of the season. Leigh was offered a new contract by Bury at the end of the 2017–18 season.
NAC Breda Leigh moved abroad for the first time in his career when he opted to join
Eredivisie side
NAC Breda on a three-year deal in June 2018.
Aberdeen Leigh was loaned to
Scottish Premiership club
Aberdeen in June 2019. After he negotiated his release from NAC Breda, Leigh signed a short-term contract with Aberdeen in October 2020. He extended the contract in January to stay until the end of the season, but suffered a hamstring injury in February 2021 that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. He was released by Aberdeen at the end of the season.
Morecambe In July 2021, Leigh signed for
League One side
Morecambe on a one-year deal. At the end of the season Leigh was released by the club.
Ipswich Town On 20 June 2022, Leigh signed a two-year contract with
Ipswich Town and in the 2–2 draw on with Sheffield Wednesday on 17 September 2022 he broke his leg.
Oxford United On 24 August 2023, Leigh joined
League One side
Oxford United for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut on 26 August as a 78th-minute substitute in a 2–1 home victory over
Charlton Athletic. ==International career==