The 17-year-old only put pen to paper on his first professional deal at Old Trafford on 12 August, making the timing of his exit to the Championship side particularly striking. He has signed a two-year contract with Stoke, with an option in the club's favour for a third season in 2028/29.
A Wales youth international born in Shrewsbury, Bradbury joined United's academy at Under-14 level in 2023 and scored ten goals in 26 appearances for the Under-21s last season, including strikes against West Brom and Derby.
He had continued to impress into the new campaign too, scoring for the Under-18s in a 3-0 win over Everton just days before his move to the Potteries was finalised, and featured for Wales Under-19s over the summer as a substitute against Denmark and Spain.
Reports suggest growing concern over his path to first-team football at United ultimately swayed his decision, with academy graduates such as the Fletcher twins and Shea Lacey cited internally as examples of players still waiting for a senior breakthrough of their own.
His departure comes amid a wider academy clear-out at Old Trafford this summer, following Toby Collyer's permanent exit to West Brom and Gabriele Biancheri's move to Austrian second-tier side Wacker Innsbruck.
Manchester United's official statement paid tribute to a player who made his Under-18s debut as a late substitute in the FA Youth Cup during the 2024/25 season before scoring eight Under-18 Premier League goals last term.
"Everyone at Manchester United wishes Louie all the best with his next stage of his career," the statement read.
Stoke academy director Jack Higgins said the club had done extensive background work before completing the deal: "Louie joins us at a good age to continue his development and thrive in our environment after some brilliant experiences with Manchester United during the past few years."
Higgins also credited the club's recruitment staff for identifying and completing the move.
"As with all players we recruit, a lot of work goes into gaining the necessary information from playing style to each individual's background, as well as their technical and physical capabilities," he said, praising head of academy recruitment Andrew Frost and academy recruitment coordinator Muheez Muyi-Opaleye for their role in bringing Bradbury to the club.