48. Nicky Butt

Signed from: Youth team
Debut: 3-0 win vs Oldham Athletic (sub), November 21st 1992
League Record: 210 games (+60 as sub), 21 goals
Sold to: Newcastle United (£2,500,000), July 2004

Another promotion from the famous 1992 youth team, Nicky was a Manchester lad brought up in the Gorton district – a tough area reflected in the man’s no-nonsense style. There have been many more talented lads to put on the shirt, but none could better Butt’s commitment.

His debut came at a point where we were in a major slump of form – any momentum from finishing second in 1991/92 seemed to have vanished in the first season of the Premiership as we went seven league games without winning. The 3-0 win over local rivals Oldham steadied the ship before the next entry would arrive to change just about everything.

Nicky began to establish himself in 1994/95, after the departure of Bryan Robson saw him move to become first in line for a place when injuries hit the main midfield duo. When Paul Ince left in the summer, he stepped in and looked very impressive through 1995/96: aggressive in the tackle, good on the ball and a tidy passer, he looked set to develop into the equal of his predecessor.

It never *quite* worked out for him, sadly, which seems an odd thing to say about someone who made over 250 appearances and played for England 39 times. Yet he was rarely ever a first choice at United, always getting his 30 or so games a season, rarely letting anyone down - it’s a cliché to say, but at just about any other club in England, he’d have been a crucial part of the team.

He did his part in the Treble glories of 1999 - suspensions saw him start the Champions League final, where he did his best in holding the line against Bayern Munich until we made our heroic last dash rush to victory.

As the 21^st century rolled through its initial years, he found himself pushed down the pecking order, though he still managed to play well enough at the 2002 World Cup to earn plaudits from Pele, of all people. By 2005, he was sick of losing out to people who should never have been allowed near a red shirt and he was put on the transfer list at his request. He moved to Newcastle, where he put in plenty of hard work, including becoming club captain, before retiring in 2011 after a short spell playing out in China.

47. David Beckham

Signed from: Youth team
Debut: 1-1 draw vs Brighton and Hove Albion (as sub, League Cup tie), September 23rd 1992
League Record: 237 games (+28 as sub), 62 goals
Sold to: Real Madrid (£25,000,000), July 2003

I have a feeling a lot of people would be surprised at how early he made his debut – it wasn’t for another three years that he cracked the first team after Andrei Kanchelskis was sent packing.

At first, he wasn’t the most exciting prospect of his year group. I remember seeing pictures that suggested if he stepped foot on Old Trafford on a gusty night, he’d get blown away and end up in the canal. Not that he had much chance of getting a game in the first place, as Andrei Kanchelskis had the right wing sewn up but when the Ukrainian got injured at the end of 94/95, young David (who had gone through a short spell on loan at Preston to get some pitch time) made a couple of showings and was obviously impressive enough to take the now-available right wing spot the following season.

Though he missed out on making the 1996 England Euro Championship squad, the first game of the subsequent season saw that his star was on a rapid upward trajectory. Against Wimbledon, he chipped their keeper from inside his own half – goal of the season right away, and setting up his reputation for spectacular long-range goals.

Around this time was the fateful day Victoria Adams rocked up at Old Trafford to do the half-time prize draw. She met young David, setting him down a path where he became far better known to the world as a “celebrity” than a footballer. He managed to keep the balance throughout most the late 90, but in the end the media attention seemed to become too much. Newspaper reports would be about his haircut and clothing rather than his footballing exploits.

Eventually, he fell out with Fergie, not helped by being hit by a boot kicked by the boss in a moment of fury, at was even dropped from the team for a spell in 2002/03. We sold him off to Real Madrid, where he did OK before electing to waste the rest of his career hacking around the US league, intercut with two loan spells at Milan. One of these saw him come up against us in a Champions League tie, where he received a deserved warm reception.

In the final reckoning, he should have spent more time at United. And yet, on the other hand, the guy who took his #7 jersey would end up doing a pretty good job in replacing him...