Prestwich Heys McManus was on the books at
Manchester United as an apprentice for four or five years but was not handed a contract and left the club at the age of 15. After leaving United, he played for his local side
Prestwich Heys notching up over 60 appearances.
Curzon Ashton In the summer of 2008 he was picked up by
Curzon Ashton. In a pre-season friendly against
Nottingham Forest he impressed the opposition enough to receive a trial and during that time was spotted by
Crewe Alexandra scout Steve Holland.
Crewe Alexandra When offered contracts by both Forest and Crewe, he elected to sign on at Gresty Road. He spent most of the 2008–09 season playing for the reserve side, but made his debut under new manager
Gudjon Thordarson towards the end of the season. He scored his first goal for Crewe in their 4–3 away defeat at
Stockport County.
FC United of Manchester McManus was released by Crewe in August 2010 and joined
FC United of Manchester as a player in the summer of 2010 and was named in the 21 player squad for the 2010–11 season by the club making his debut in the
Northern Premier League Premier Division on 22 August 2010.
Coalville Town On 21 May 2018, McManus was confirmed as joining
Southern League Premier Central side
Coalville Town after leaving
Halifax Town, citing the reason for the move being his distance to travel regularly from his home in the Midlands. He left Coalville in 2020, and after a break from senior football, signed for
Nuneaton Borough in December of that year. He returned to Coalville Town in January 2024.
Barwell In May 2024, McManus joined
Barwell. ==Personal life==